Armstrong on fuss at INEOS Grenadiers: "Pidcock earns same as annual budget Equipo Kern Pharma"

 The relationship between gold medalist Tom Pidcock and his team, INEOS Grenadiers, is far from good. In a recent interview, Pidders was somewhat critical of his employer, which led to speculation in the cycling world about a possible departure. Former pro Lance Armstrong is always good for a sharp opinion, and he also had his say.

"Yes, it is true that there are some issues within the team that I have to deal with. And those are honestly not helping me to perform optimally," Pidcock told HLN not too long ago. "I have to think about a lot more than just performance-related things. And that makes focusing on the important things, namely competing in races, not ideal." The man from Leeds could not say anything at the time about a possible departure.

Armstrong sees that Pidcock, of whom it is said that he gets too little freedom to pursue his goals properly, is a versatile and great rider. "He earns €4 million a year. That is the entire annual budget of Equipo Kern Pharma, and they won three stages in the Vuelta a España. Believe me, everyone at INEOS Grenadiers is on alert now. It's sad to see," the American states in the latest episode of podcast THEMOVE. 

Former team manager Johan Bruyneel, a regular guest on the popular talk show, commented. "Everyone used to look at Team Sky as the model of success. Every rider desperately wanted to come out for that team, but now there are doubts about whether that is the right place." The 60-year-old Belgian was clear. "After Dave Brailsford's departure, it seems no one is in charge anymore. The soul is gone. They have 15 team managers, but who is leading the team?"