No reason for all the fuss: "Departure of Pidcock off the table, rider stays with INEOS Grenadiers"

There has recently been much talk about Tom Pidcock. The rider and his team, INEOS Grenadiers, were unsatisfied with the collaboration. A departure seemed inevitable, but well-known cycling journalist Daniel Benson reports on his channel that it is now off the table. 

Rumors surfaced earlier this year that Pidcock might move to Swiss ProTeam Q36.5. These became more persistent when the British rider was recently ruled out of the Tour of Lombardy for unclear reasons, even though Pidcock said he was in top form ahead of the autumn race. The situation became even stranger when the INEOS team management did not know why the rider was removed from the start list.

Therefore, an end to the cooperation between rider and team seemed to be in the making. According to Benson, there were negotiations between INEOS and Q36.5 about an early departure of Pidcock, as his contract still runs through 2027. However, INEOS has decided to pull the plug on negotiations with Q36.5. "Pidcock's transfer appears to have failed after negotiations between the rider and the British team regarding his departure terms during the past 48 hours," Benson wrote.

Thus, Pidcock and INEOS Grenadiers seem destined to remain together for at least two years. Pidcock has been the star of the British team for years and is well-paid for it. Pidcock recorded fine victories for the team, including this year's Amstel Gold Race and, two years ago, a Tour stage, which finished on the Alpe d'Huez. He won a total of five times in four seasons as a pro. Pidcock is also pursuing GC ambitions in the major tours, such as last year's Tour. However, he dropped out of the top ten in the final weeks after a good start.