Tom 'Pidders' Pidcock

[Squire]

Might be a unpopular opinion but am I the only one who somewhat find Pidcock to be slightly overrated? Pidcock is more suited to the underwhelming competition in MTB. Road race there is simply many better horses than him in all major race least for now and up until now.

He did win the prestigious Most Overrated Rider on the Forum award after all...

... which I don't quite agree with.

Except for his coach, I don't see many people bigging him up to be something he isn't. Saying he is the best mountain-biker in the world is hardly controversial, and the general consensus when it comes to road cycling seems to be that he is a serious contender for most of the classics while having some limitations in stage racing. Which I think is accurate.

As for his potential if he focused solely on the road, it's hard to tell. He has been able to hang with everyone not named Pog or Vingegaard on some big climbs, so there's something there. But my own suspicion is that he might continue to be inconsistent and prone to bad days.

For him to be overrated, he'd need a lot of people to actually overrate him. And not just his coach.

 

[Strawberry_Jams]

Bretange Classic
Tour of Britain
GP Quebec & Montreal
+ (I assume) Road Worlds

added to his calendar on pcs. Not really sure where that's come from, but if true, seems exciting to finally have a proper end of season schedule for once, I hope this means full focus on the road from now on. It's time to finally see what he can do.

 

[Squire]

Bretange Classic
Tour of Britain
GP Quebec & Montreal
+ (I assume) Road Worlds

added to his calendar on pcs. Not really sure where that's come from, but if true, seems exciting to finally have a proper end of season schedule for once, I hope this means full focus on the road from now on. It's time to finally see what he can do.

I went looking, and couldn't find the source for that either. The North American MTB rounds are later in September, so a part of me is slightly worried he'll stay over there to compete in those. But he has a very decent shot at a rainbow jersey for once, so it would be weird and stupid not to do Zürich.

 

[Strawberry_Jams]

well he's also on the list for the mtb worlds as well. Maybe if it wasn't down the road from him and suited to him, he might have not bothered. But another chance for a rainbow jersey if he he's on his usual form. Last year he came 3rd in Andorra after just rocking up after not riding his bike post worlds celebrations - is the same true post Olympics?

 

[Sciatic]

Watching riders climb that 3 km block of concrete with 15% gradient at the Vuelta today left me thinking Pidcock should do the Vuelta sometime rather than Tour, and might give Ineos a chance for some decent stage results.

 

[mrgmyers]

Maybe it's my imagination, but it seems the British podcasters really cooled on discussing Pidders this year during the Tour. Did anyone else sense this? I wondered if it had to do with Pidders insistence that Steve Cummings be left off the Tour staff for Ineos.

Watching the documentary for last year it was clear to me that Pidcock does not like Cummings and had no intention of doing what Cummings said.
But his results do not appear to give him the right to do what he wants rather than what Cummings wants him to do. In my humble opinion he does not have a sufficiently impressive Palmares to act like billy big balls

 

[Gwbert]

Watching riders climb that 3 km block of concrete with 15% gradient at the Vuelta today left me thinking Pidcock should do the Vuelta sometime rather than Tour, and might give Ineos a chance for some decent stage results.

Yeah, I’ve been thinking the same. Give up the GC stuff as he’s never gonna win a GT and concentrate on stage hunting in Giro/Tour. Or give up road and concentrate on MTB/CX!

 

[Bolder]

Watching the documentary for last year it was clear to me that Pidcock does not like Cummings and had no intention of doing what Cummings said.
But his results do not appear to give him the right to do what he wants rather than what Cummings wants him to do. In my humble opinion he does not have a sufficiently impressive Palmares to act like billy big balls

Can we change the thread title to Billy Big Balls?

 

[King Of The Wolds]

The guy has a big ego, that's evident. But he's a double Olympic gold medallist, double WC, won a couple of big Classics and a stage of the Tour. And that's not taking into account his stellar junior career. It kind of comes with the territory. All the big champs have big egos, but this current Ineos management just have no clue how to deal with his ego.

 

[mrgmyers]

The guy has a big ego, that's evident. But he's a double Olympic gold medallist, double WC, won a couple of big Classics and a stage of the Tour. And that's not taking into account his stellar junior career. It kind of comes with the territory. All the big champs have big egos, but this current Ineos management just have no clue how to deal with his ego.

Yes, his past achievements are there for all to see. However, past form is just that past form. I suspect if we were to ask the senior management at INIOS, they would tell us Pidcock was hired to develop into a road race rider in the near future; yet, as far as I can see, he is not showing a great deal of improvement in that area.
Added to this, Pidcock is allegedly on a massive financial package. However, according to the cycling press (And yes, I appreciate that we have to take much of what is reported with a pinch of salt), he does seem to be making a lot of fuss about some of the team Snr management and is pointing the finger at some claiming that they do not know how to get the best out of him. In my humble opinion, this is never a sensible stance, especially considering that Sky won the TdF seven times in eight years with three different riders, at least one of which was said to be a "prickly customer". However, he still won, so they cannot be all that bad at motivating riders who want to win road races.

 

[stonerider]

Yes, his past achievements are there for all to see. However, past form is just that past form. I suspect if we were to ask the senior management at INIOS, they would tell us Pidcock was hired to develop into a road race rider in the near future; yet, as far as I can see, he is not showing a great deal of improvement in that area.
Added to this, Pidcock is allegedly on a massive financial package. However, according to the cycling press (And yes, I appreciate that we have to take much of what is reported with a pinch of salt), he does seem to be making a lot of fuss about some of the team Snr management and is pointing the finger at some claiming that they do not know how to get the best out of him. In my humble opinion, this is never a sensible stance, especially considering that Sky won the TdF seven times in eight years with three different riders, at least one of which was said to be a "prickly customer". However, he still won, so they cannot be all that bad at motivating riders who want to win road races.

I don't think the senior management running the team when they won 7 TdF titles are presently with the team. They clearly don't have a strong management person to call the shots.

 

[Rob5091]

Coach Kurt Bogaerts says nothing to see here ... (wonder if he's worried about his job! )
https://www.cyclingnews.com/news/i-...ispels-issues-at-ineos-amid-transfer-rumours/

 

[xo 1]

I don't think the senior management running the team when they won 7 TdF titles are presently with the team. They clearly don't have a strong management person to call the shots.

True. As well, I don't know that senior management from that period - even if still at INEOS - would win now.

Based on interviews with riders who span the time period, I believe the top teams now - TVLB, UAE, especially - are much advanced from the Sky Boys. RBH seeks to join TVLB and UAE, and I suspect there are many teams of lesser budgets who are also competing with advanced training and technology of which I am unaware, where INEOS is perhaps disinvesting.

 

[samhocking]

True. As well, I don't know that senior management from that period - even if still at INEOS - would win now.

Based on interviews with riders who span the time period, I believe the top teams now - TVLB, UAE, especially - are much advanced from the Sky Boys. RBH seeks to join TVLB and UAE, and I suspect there are many teams of lesser budgets who are also competing with advanced training and technology of which I am unaware, where INEOS is perhaps disinvesting.

I think of the original staff, only Slarkey (fleet manager), Costa (head mechanic) and Steve Peters (psychiatrist) remain now. It's probably not that unusual in teams of this age for the turnover of staff, but having both Brailsford and Ellingworth move on around the same time is a big change, gonna take Allert a few years like it did Braislford & Ellingworth to win that first Tour imo. But as Tim Kerrison always said, you can have the best equiplment, best training, best nutrition, best sports science in the peloton, but without a Chris Froome you can't win and Ineos don't have a replacement for Chris Froome so they have to go back to basics with a young squad and try and develop one which is clearly what they're doing now.

 

[mrgmyers]

I don't think the senior management running the team when they won 7 TdF titles are presently with the team. They clearly don't have a strong management person to call the shots.

I very much doubt that INEOS simply allowed all that knowledge to just walk out of the door, there will almost certainly be strategy, training, and health logs to refer to, especially for those races they won. They have some very good people even if some are being kept away from races to ensure certain riders can do their best but looking from the outside in, that seems to be a failing strategy. Since Dave B moved on control of riders ego's seems to have slipped.

 

[MartinGT]

View this content on Instagram

View this content on Instagram

View: https://www.instagram.com/p/DA_cqnLtG1D/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==



Not great from Pidcock airing his dirty laundry in public and not the first time he's done it. Best thing for both is he leaves. IMO He needs to concentrate on week long races.

 

[sam6]

View this content on Instagram

View this content on Instagram

View: https://www.instagram.com/p/DA_cqnLtG1D/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==



Not great from Pidcock airing his dirty laundry in public and not the first time he's done it. Best thing for both is he leaves. IMO He needs to concentrate on week long races.

This is bizarre. I mean he came second in a very similar race just last week, and now they leave him out? I don't blame him for saying this actually as he has a right to be annoyed. This sounds like he is leaving INEOS and they are punishing him for it?

 

[Samamba]

So who is coming to get him... buying him out won't be cheap.

Astana is probably already on their way to drop a sack full of gold at their doorstep but meeh Astana. Red Bull was interested but they are after someone else who is still under contract. Q36.5 was rumored but do they really have that money?

Not great from Pidcock airing his dirty laundry in public and not the first time he's done it. Best thing for both is he leaves. IMO He needs to concentrate on week long races.

I think this is absolutely BS when your team just leaves you out a monument selection for absolutely 0 reason. They literally do not have anyone else who can get a result. And this is coming from someone who really doesn't like Pidcock (and someone who thought his previous criticism shouldve not been made public). Why should he stay quite when his team is obviously doing this out of spite?

 

[Strawberry_Jams]

Posted this in Lombardy thread

he's raced in a number of events since and even since the q36 rumour came out. Seems pretty petty and unprofesional of the team to do it now in what will likely be his last race for the team. It's not like they need a result is it? rumour he's been fired, but agent says no reason given for deselection. The final nail in the coffin for an awful team.

I don't see how you see how you blame the rider for this once the team have been announced. I'd be doing the same tbh. The team clearly should have selected him, and are allowing personal feelings to get in the way of professionalism when picking a team, especially when you look at the 8 riders selected.

 

[MartinGT]

I have it on good authority that Scott are willing to pay him out of his contract at Sky for Q36.5. But the move to Red Bull is still on the table.

 

[Samamba]

I have it on good authority that Scott are willing to pay him out of his contract at Sky for Q36.5. But the move to Red Bull is still on the table.

But why would Pidcock go there if one of his main concerns is him not being able to do his thing in GTs, Q36.5 doesn't even ride a GT and won't anytime soon I think.

Also maybe Scotts wants to do that but the team itself is apparently struggling financially.