Motivated Pidcock suddenly excluded from Lombardy selection: "I'm in great shape"

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.

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

Rumors about Pidcock's transfer have been swirling. The two-time Olympic champion has been linked to a departure from INEOS Grenadiers, and this could very well have been his last race for the British team. The Pro-continental Q36.5 Pro Cycling team is reportedly the one with the best chance of reeling in the Brit. Recently, Pidcock faced heavy criticism: former Belgian team leader Johan Bruyneel criticized his win rate, noting that he has secured a total of five victories on the road. "And he earns like a grand tour winner," said Bruyneel.