Pidcock deleted all social media, yet his place at INEOS Grenadiers in 2025 is still uncertain

Pidcock addressed all the fuss surrounding his person and how it affected him. "That was largely because of the media. Those want to show two sides of you: the winner or the loser. There is no middle ground; there never really is. You read so many different stories..." The all-rounder decided to take a break from it all for a while. "I deleted everything in terms of social media during my holiday. That was wonderful."

Meanwhile, partly because of the Netflix series, Pidcock was called a f*cking bad guy. "Ok then," he says of that. "Just ask my teammates. The last two seasons were not the best. I didn't have the love for the Tour for a while, and I also struggled with a lot of illness."

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And on top of that came all those rumors of a departure, fueled by his last-minute removal from the starting list at Il Lombardia in October. Rumors that were recently put to rest but resurfaced at La Gazzetta dello Sport. "Sources confirm that a departure of Pidcock at INEOS to Q36.5 Pro Cycling before 2025 is still on the table. IWe don't say it's 100 per cent done but the possibility still exist, news possibly coming in next days..."

Interesting development, which Pidcock did not really talk about. He mostly answered questions about the focus for 2025. After two Olympic mountain bike titles and many victories in cyclo-cross, there is another discipline that he wants to focus on. "If I could choose, right now, I want to focus on the road. I never necessarily wanted to do cyclo-cross; it just happened when I started road racing. I thought mountain biking was fantastic to watch, and I just started to like that later on. But the road was always the main goal."

Pidcock continued to discuss descending and mountain biking. He said he thought he lost the sprint at the Games against Victor Koretzky, forcing his bold move. He also said he is not super good at descending, except when a bike is racing in front of him. "That changes the whole thing. Otherwise, you can't make such big differences," he referred to his famous Galibier descent.

Back to the present then, or rather the future. What does he have left for 2025? "Before the Games, I was still really into mountain biking. After the games, I told my girlfriend I would fully concentrate on the road. Especially the Monuments, even more than the stage races," said the man who first wanted to focus on the Tour. "And Milan-Sanremo? I haven't specifically scouted the downhill yet. In that race, a bad move can cost you the race. Last time, I was riding too far in the back, and even if you are positioned well there, it doesn't necessarily get you the win either."

For Sanremo and Paris-Roubaix, he needs to prepare better, Pidcock says. "I had so many problems with my hands; I need to focus more on that leading up to next season. Last season was full of highs and lows anyway. I didn't think it was bad; I had been close many times. For next season, I want to clarify for myself: What do I want to target? Then I think I can gain a few more percent."