Tom Pidcock has spoken about Ineos Grenadiers’ shocking determination to have their director of racing, Steve Cummings, assist the staff remotely through the Tour de France, saying that he felt it could have little influence.
“I don’t suppose 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 just 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 eventually 12 months’s Tour de France, however this 12 months, the staff has positioned directeur sportif Zak Dempster in that function. The staff may also have a second directeur sportif, Xavier Zandio Echaide, on the race.
Dempster advised Biking Weekly that he discovered that he can be main the staff on the Tour de France two weeks in the past. He additionally stated that he felt that it could be difficult for Cummings to assist the staff remotely.
“I believe that’s not possible. For the second, I’m the lead DS right here, and it’ll be me managing the race on behalf of the efficiency staff. However for certain, he could have an enter, and he’s finished a extremely good job constructing this journey to this point, 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 function 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 assist them and goal stage wins.
“So long as we’re all pulling in the identical path, which I am assured we will likely be profitable,” Thomas stated within the press convention. “In fact, there’ll be bumps within the highway, however I believe it is simply coping with them as greatest we are able to at the moment. We’re all clear what we’re coming right here to attempt to obtain.”
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