INEOS team director emphasizes team was unaware of Pidcock being overlooked: "I understand it's strange"

The season is over for Tom Pidcock. The Brit (INEOS Grenadiers) rode a strong Tour of Emilia last week, where he finished second, but the mountain biker has not been selected for the Tour of Lombardy, much to the dismay of the Olympic champion himself. In an exclusive reaction for IDLProCycling.com, it became clear on Saturday morning before the race that this situation is developing into a full-blown soap opera.

On Instagram, Pidcock announced that his season is over. "Just as things were on the up after a turbulent end to the year I am deselected for Lombardy tomorrow," he says. He's very disappointed that he won’t be starting in Bergamo, as is clear from his words. "I am in great shape and was really looking forwarded to it! Good luck to the boys, I guess off season starts early. Thanks for everyone’s support even in the tough times," concludes the 25-year-old rider who races for the British team.

Pidcock's deselection comes as a surprise to him, and understandably so: he placed second behind the unstoppable Tadej Pogacar in the Tour of Emilia. He also competed in the Gran Piemonte, where he finished fifteenth. Given his form, Pidcock seemed to be one of the few on the favorites list who wasn’t named Pogacar, but that scenario has been ruled out now. The winner of the Amstel Gold Race will have to shift his focus to next season, where his sights will be set more on road cycling than ever, with cyclocross and mountain biking taking a backseat.

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Tom Pidcock won the Amstel Gold Race this year

Could this have been Pidcock’s last race with INEOS?

Meanwhile, transfer rumors surrounding Pidcock are circulating and are unlikely to slow down after this turn of events. The all-rounder has already been linked to a departure from INEOS Grenadiers, despite his contract running until the end of 2027. Gran Piemonte may have been his last race for the British team, with the Pro Continental team Q36.5 Pro Cycling reportedly having the best chance at signing him.

INEOS team leaders unaware of reason for Pidcock's absence

Of course, INEOS Grenadiers was asked for a response on Saturday morning, which was given by team director Zak Dempster. He was clearly prepared but still seemed uncomfortable. "I’m aware that it’s odd. However, we have a long list of candidates for a race like this, and management selects the seven riders they want at the start. I don’t have much more information than that, but I understand it looks strange."

In response to the observation that Pidcock's recent performances make his absence even more striking, Dempster nodded. "I don’t have more information. It’s disappointing for Tom that he can’t go for the result he was prepared for. The situation is what it is. It’s not fair to comment on where the decision came from. In some decisions, I’m more involved than other. That’s the nature of the situation we’re in. My job as the sports director is to get these guys on their bikes and to get them to the finish line first. We did that with Tom, so it’s disappointing not to be able to aim for a result with him."

This indicates that the team leaders and riders were not informed of the exact reason for Pidcock’s omission. Dempster appeared genuinely disappointed and confirmed that the news was not casually accepted by the guys on the team bus. "Tom was in good shape, but we will never know how it could have turned out. There was a big discussion on the bus, though I won’t go into details. Ultimately, it was a good conversation, and Tom even trained with the guys yesterday. He wants to race, of course, but a decision is a decision."

The situation fuels rumors that Pidcock may no longer be racing for INEOS after this season. Dempster hopes— perhaps against the odds — that things will turn out differently. "I’m not naive. I read about the rumors too. But Tom still has a contract for three more seasons, and I enjoy working with him. Hopefully, I can continue to do so."