“It was probably the best decision of my life”: Pidcock stands by his decision to leave INEOS and names his World Championship favourites

Tom Pidcock faces the World Championship in Montreal with the possibility of completing a season that is hard to imagine even for a rider of his profile. Less than a month after being crowned world champion in XCO in Val di Sole, the Brit returns to the road to pursue the rainbow jersey that is still missing from his collection. He does so at a time when he seems particularly convinced of the direction his career took when he decided to leave INEOS.

In an interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport, Pidcock reflected on a departure that was surrounded by uncertainty at the time and ultimately led him to the current Pinarello-Q36.5. Almost two years later, his assessment leaves little room for doubt.

“Now I can calmly say that it was probably the best decision I have made in my career”, Pidcock asserts.

Pidcock reaffirms his departure from INEOS and talks about the World Championship in Montreal

Pidcock left INEOS Grenadiers at the end of 2024 despite having a valid contract. As he explains now, by then the separation was practically decided. The real difficulty was choosing where to continue his career.

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Are they arriving too late, or does jet lag not affect Van Aert and Van der Poel?

“My departure from INEOS was practically assured. But choosing the team to join was a long process that required a lot of reflection and time to make a decision”, the Brit explains to the Italian media.

Two seasons later, Pidcock not only considers the move to be correct, but he also places it among the most important decisions of his career. He also avoids reopening any conflict regarding his last months in the British structure. When directly asked if he considered that stage to be over, he summarizes the situation much more simply: “We both thought it was better to part ways”.

His arrival at Q36.5 also coincided with a stage in which he has been able to compete at the highest level in very different disciplines. Pidcock finished third in the 2025 Vuelta a España and continues to alternate between road racing and a mountain bike program that has once again taken him to the world title this year.

From the rainbow of XCO to the road World Championship

Precisely that ability to switch disciplines will be put to the test again this Sunday. Pidcock acknowledges that, contrary to what it might seem from the outside, returning to the road after competing in mountain bike is more complicated for him than doing the opposite.

After the Tour, he needed several weeks to regain good sensations, and his presence at the MTB World Championship was in doubt for three weeks. He ultimately decided to go to Val di Sole and came away with the rainbow jersey. Now the process has reversed.

To facilitate that transition, he raced several road events before Montreal, including Larciano, where he won.

The goal justifies the effort. After winning the MTB World Championship, Pidcock maintains that if he could choose just one road race that he still wants to win, it would be the World Championship.

Evenepoel, Del Toro, and Seixas, his three big favorites

Pidcock, however, does not place himself as the main candidate for this Sunday.

“I am not the favorite. I think that role belongs to Evenepoel, Del Toro, and Seixas. But I will be in the fight”, he assures.

The three names have recent arguments to appear in that selection. Isaac Del Toro won the GP of Montreal ahead of Paul Seixas on the same circuit that serves as a reference for the World Championship, while Remco Evenepoel has already warned about the particular toughness of a course that can especially punish heavier riders.

As we explained after the GP of Montreal, Evenepoel believes that the length of the climbs and the accumulation of fatigue can make the circuit particularly selective. The World Championship will also increase the distance to 273.7 kilometers, with about 100 kilometers initially before entering the final circuit.

Pidcock fits, at least on paper, much better than other big names in a course of this type. But he avoids placing himself at the level of the three riders he considers references before the start.

A second rainbow in less than a month

The Brit has already been world champion in cyclocross and XCO, and a two-time Olympic champion in mountain bike. So winning the rainbow on the road would be a milestone that so far only Pauline Ferrand Prevot holds, the only cyclist with world titles in all three categories.

Additionally, at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics, as he confirms in the same interview, his intention is to try to achieve a third consecutive Olympic gold in XCO, although he has not yet decided whether he will try to combine it with the road event.

The men's event will close the Montreal World Championship on Sunday starting at 15:00, CEST time. Here you can check all the schedules and options to follow the 2026 Cycling World Championship live.