Tom Pidcock’s end-of-season ambitions have been hit by a crash at the Tour of Britain and a concussion diagnosis, with the Ineos Grenadiers rider admitting that ‘non-performance’ issues in the team are still distracting him from racing.
Pidcock won a second consecutive gold medal in the mountain bike event at the Paris Olympics but then struggled in the road race a week later. He admitted that he was “mentally a bit frazzled" due to reports and speculation about his future at Ineos Grenadiers.
He was reportedly linked to a move away from the team during the summer, with suggestions that he does not get along with Director of Racing Steve Cummings, who was surprisingly left at home or the Tour de France. It appears Pidcock will now stay at Ineos but the transfer talk and problems inside the team have been a distraction.
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Pidcock was in an early break on the final stage of the Tour of Britain but then crashed hard. A number of riders from the Tour of Britain were due to travel to Canada via Paris on Tuesday but Pidcock will now miss the two races and spend time at home to recover from concussion.
“Following the crash in stage six of the Tour of Britain, we can confirm that Tom Pidcock has sustained a concussion. He will return home for recovery and remain under the supervision of our medical team whilst he follows our concussion 'return to training' protocol,” Ineos said in a social media post.
“Unfortunately this will mean he is unable to race in the upcoming Canadian races. We wish Tom a speedy recovery and hope he will be back to racing soon.”
The Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec will be held on Friday, September 13, with the Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal on Sunday, September 15.
Tadej Pogačar, Michael Matthews, Julian Alaphilippe and a number of other riders are using the two World Tour races as an important build-up to the UCI road World Championships in Zurich, Switzerland on September 29.
Pidcock was expected to lead Great Britain in Zurich, alongside Tour of Britain winner Stevie Williams.
Pidcock has enjoyed a rollercoaster 2024 season, winning the Amstel Gold Race and Olympic gold but also struggling at the Tour de France before catching COVID-19. His many talents make it difficult for Pidcock to choose between mountain biking, the cobbled classics and Grand Tour racing. He has hinted he will focus on road racing in the season to come.
“Like in so many seasons, there are positive and negative aspects. It is just so damn hard to win. There are only a small number of riders who win the majority of the races and I want to be one of them. That is not the case now and that has to change,” Pidcock told Het Laatste Nieuws at the Tour of Britain.
When asked if he endured a lack of freedom at Ineos, Pidcock reportedly said: “It's true that there are a number of things within the team that I have to deal with at the moment. And to be honest, they don't help me to perform optimally.
“I have to think about a lot more than just performance-related things at the moment. And that means that the focus on the things that are really important, namely racing, is not ideal."
Asked if it was a matter of the team’s structure, Pidcock said: "I think I'd better not say anything more about this."
Asked if there is a chance he will change teams, he said: "I have a contract until the end of 2027. I can't say more."
