Tom Pidcock: Can cyclist win big and why did it not work out at Ineos Grenadiers?

Very little information about how the relationship with one of Ineos’ biggest talents broke down has made it outside the team bus. Which leaves many looking for clues within what both team and athlete say – even while they are trying not to say much.

“I think it’s as simple as the word ‘compatibility’,” said Ineos CEO John Allert during a pre-season press call. “There’s no guarantees in life… I think Tom and the team probably realised we’d come to a point of recognising that.

“I think the whole Tom topic might be one for a book in 10 years’ time.”

It’s as telling, especially in Allert’s last line, as it is diplomatic.

There’s little doubt there was a fallout: they dropped him from competing in the final big race of last season – the Il Lombardia ‘monument’ classic across Italy’s wealthy northern region. A one-day event Pidcock was perfect for.

Pidcock himself gave his own clues to BBC Sport during his second training camp before the new season. “I feel fresher, more energised. I feel like it’s my own journey, taking control and being in charge of my own destiny. It’s a really nice feeling as well.”

The past few seasons had seen Ineos shift from a winning machine to a more relaxed and autonomous environment, which would seemingly suit a young, nonchalant, multi-discipline athlete such as Pidcock.

They were happy to see him throw himself into a lake off a speedboat on Instagram, or fly at breakneck speed down the dirt tracks of the Alps for Olympic glory on a different kind of bike.

But road cycling is changing and Ineos are making a transition into a modern ‘super-team’. This includes last year’s introduction of performance director Scott Drawer and a search for more sponsors on top of the already substantial backing of Ineos owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe, which requires a refocus on what was their original objective as Team Sky: to win the Tour de France, again and again.