Wuyts is outspoken about Pidcock saga: "Who was having fun during team-building days at INEOS? Yes, exactly"

You don't just kick a double Olympic champion and Member of the British Empire in the butt, says Michel Wuyts in  HLN. He wonders if "island resident" Tom Pidcock will help the INEOS stronghold in the coming years.

"Charming, inspiring, overpowering, Tom Pidcock has it all. What he conjures out of his petite body, you simply don't forget. The only thing is that no one - not even Pidcock - knows when he will show himself again. After the Olympics in August, it took until the Tour of Emilia." And that, according to Wuyts, is quite a long time for a big earner.

The Belgian analyst also found it striking that INEOS initially seemed fine with a Pidcock departure. "'Good to be rid of that fickle-minded person," the followers of owner Ratcliffe must have thought. They even wanted to contact the Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team by paying part of his salary. I suppose after that bit of glory in Emilia, Tommy from Leeds firmly yelled at his leaders again. Like, "You see, gentlemen know-it-alls." "No Lombardy then, Mr Pidcock. There's no way to determine how well you are performing", Wuyts imagines what happened behind the scenes.

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"They belong to the protected heritage"

But that's not how you deal with a double champion and Member of the British Empire, Wuyts seems to say scornfully. "They belong to the protected heritage. Then I'd rather put a nice down pillow underneath and choose to liquidate demanding and highly rated team leaders like Xabier Artetxe and Steven Cummings.'' As reported, Cummings and Pidcock did not get along very well. "Cycling is like soccer. Those who do take responsibility pay the price. Anyway, out went Cummings. And who was having fun during the team-building days at INEOS? Yes, exactly, island resident Tom Pidcock."

So Wuyts wonders if Pidcock will manage to bring the once mighty stronghold back on top. "Whether he comes out more prominent depends on a mentality shift. He needs to complete a build-up program toward his road campaign more diligently. Growing in transparency and developing valued leadership becomes essential." "May God bless you, Tom," Wuyts concluded his speech positively.

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