Tom Pidcock has spoken about Ineos Grenadiers’ shocking determination to have their director of racing, Steve Cummings, help the group remotely through the Tour de France, saying that he felt it might have little affect.
“I don’t assume it’ll have an effect. Issues change, it’s probably not for me to remark,” Pidcock advised Biking Weekly on the Tour de France groups presentation held on Thursday on the Piazza Michelangelo in Florence, Italy.
Cummings and Pidcock appeared to endure a tense relationship through the 2023 Tour de France, in accordance with the lately launched Netflix sequence, Tour de France Unchained. Nevertheless, in a press convention forward of the Tour de France, Pidcock and teammate Carlos Rodriguez dismissed the Netflix episode as “drama”.
Cummings held the place of lead directeur sportif ultimately yr’s Tour de France, however this yr, the group has positioned directeur sportif Zak Dempster in that position. The group may also have a second directeur sportif, Xavier Zandio Echaide, on the race.
Dempster advised Biking Weekly that he discovered that he could be main the group on the Tour de France two weeks in the past. He additionally mentioned that he felt that it might be difficult for Cummings to help the group remotely.
“I feel that’s unimaginable. For the second, I’m the lead DS right here, and it’ll be me managing the race on behalf of the efficiency group. However for certain, he can have an enter, and he’s achieved a extremely good job constructing this journey thus far, and we go on with it.”
Cummings has labored on a number of races as Ineos Grenadiers’ directeur sportif this season, together with the Critérium du Dauphiné, historically thought-about the build-up race to the Tour de France.
He has performed a key position in deciding the Ineos Grenadiers’ roster and race technique for the Tour de France, the place Rodriguez and Egan Bernal have been designated as Ineos’ GC leaders, with Pidcock and Geraint Thomas to help them and goal stage wins.
“So long as we’re all pulling in the identical path, which I am assured we can be profitable,” Thomas mentioned within the press convention. “After all, there’ll be bumps within the highway, however I feel it is simply coping with them as greatest we will at the moment. We’re all clear what we’re coming right here to attempt to obtain.”
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