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Tom Pidcock to leave Ineos Grenadiers team after rumours confirmed

Great Britain's Tom Pidcock is to leave the Ineos Grenadiers team at the end of the season. The Yorkshireman, whose future had been the subject of speculation going back months, is widely expected to sign for Q36.5, the second-tier Swiss ProTeam.

Pidcock famously won stage 12 of the Tour de France in 2022 on the slopes of Alpe d'Huez

The 25-year-old had been with the Ineos Grenadiers team since 2021.

He won a stage of the Tour de France in 2022 on the slopes of Alpe d'Huez, while also claiming victory in the prestigious Strade Bianche and Amstel Gold Race one-day classics. Pidcock retained his Olympic mountain bike title when he won gold at the Games in Paris this year.

However, he failed to win a stage at this year's Tour de France and there was speculation over the rider's relationship with the team's management. There was to be no repeat of Pidcock’s thrilling Alpe d’Huez win of 2022, and which Pidcock eventually abandoned with Covid, the final nail in the coffin came at Il Lombardia, the final monument of the season. 

Pidcock arrived in blistering form off the back of his runner-up place behind Tadej Pogacar in the previous week’s Giro dell’Emilia warm-up race, only for the Yorkshireman to drop the proverbial hand grenade on his social media channels when he announced on the eve of the race that he had been “de-selected”.

The 25-year-old’s five-year contract, which was to run until the end of 2027 season, was worth around €3 to €5 million euros, making him the highest-paid rider in the team, and within the top five in the entire peloton.

At the same time, his extraordinary versatility and apparent desire to carry on competing across a broad range of disciplines made him a difficult fit for a team whose backer Sir Jim Ratcliffe wants above all to win the Tour de France again.

"So many amazing memories that will stick with me for a lifetime," said Pidcock following the announcement of his exit, "I can't thank enough all the hard-working people in the team who brought so much and helped me achieve my dreams - thank you Ineos Grenadiers. Going to miss you boys. When one door closes another opens."

Ineos Grenadiers chief executive John Allert said: "We’re really proud of the work we've done with Tom to help him achieve some extraordinary and memorable moments. Together we've written a powerful chapter and shown how exciting and diverse professional cycling can be.

Sounds like Tom's talents and Ineos Grenadiers Tour de France GC ambitions, which are now in tatters, don't align.