Tom Pidcock has signed a contract to ride for Ineos Grenadiers from 2021. The 21-year-old recently won three stages and the overall at the Baby Giro, and has been earmarked as one of the most talented British riders in recent years.
He is expected to lead Great Britain in this weekend's road race at the UCI Road World Championships in Italy, his debut at the elite race.
Pidcock, who rides for Trinity Racing – a team set up around him late in 2019 – took bronze in the U23 Worlds road race in his home county of Yorkshire a year ago. An all-rounder in the vein of fellow cyclo-crossers Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert, Pidock can also count the under-23 version of Paris-Roubaix, the Tour Alsace and the junior Worlds time trial title on his palmarès.
"I am incredibly excited and proud to be signing for the Ineos Grenadiers. Like so many British cyclists of my generation, I have always aspired to race on the road with this team - to me, the best in the world," Pidcock said in a statement released by his future team.
"I just want to keep racing, learning and growing as a bike rider, and having the opportunity to do that in this team is amazing. I feel like I’m ready for the WorldTour but also excited to keep exploring multiple disciplines with the support of this team behind me."
Pidcock, who spent the 2018 and 2019 seasons at the now-defunct Wiggins Continental team, is also a decorated cyclo-cross rider, having won World and European titles at junior and under-23 level, as well as numerous British titles.
Last season, he stepped up to elite level, taking a number of podium spots through the winter – including a silver medal behind Van der Poel at the Worlds in Dübendorf.
The signing of Pidcock brings another talented young rider aboard Ineos Grenadiers, an area the team has been keen to strengthen in recent years. He'll join an impressive group of riders aged 23 and under at the team, including 2019 Tour de France winner Egan Bernal, Iván Sosa, Pavel Sivakov, and fellow Briton Ethan Hayter.
Team boss Dave Brailsford welcomed Pidcock to the team.
"It’s clear Tom is one of the most exciting young riders in world cycling and part of a new era of incredible all-round talents. We’re witnessing a new trend in cycling, with an emergence of young riders who come from a broader, multi-disciplined background.
"Tom’s career so far really embodies that. He’s competed at the highest level across several disciplines, an incredible bike handler, a natural-born bike racer, and a winner. Now he’s going to be an Ineos Grenadier and it’s invigorating for the whole team to be developing a talent like Tom."
