OLYMPIC mountain bike champion Tom Pidcock is leaving the Ineos Grenadiers by mutual consent, the British team have announced.

The move comes after months of speculation surrounding the 25-year-old, with Pidcock having admitted as far back as the Paris Games in August that uncertainty over his future had left him “frazzled.”

In a statement, Grenadiers chief executive John Allert said: “We’re really proud of the work we’ve done with Tom to help him achieve some extraordinary and memorable moments. Together we’ve written a powerful chapter and shown how exciting and diverse professional cycling can be.

“Tom has some big multi-disciplinary goals, and we believe this decision enables both of us to pursue our future ambitions with clarity, purpose and determination. We thank Tom for the last four years and wish him the best of luck for the future.”

On his Instagram page, Pidcock wrote: “So many amazing memories that will stick with me for a lifetime. I can’t thank enough all the hard-working people in the team who brought so much and helped me achieve my dreams — thank you, @ineosgrenadiers.

“Gonna miss you boys. When one door closes, another opens.”

Pidcock joined the Grenadiers in 2021 and has delivered some memorable results on the road, winning a stage of the 2022 Tour de France on the Alpe d’Huez as well as Strade Bianche and the Amstel Gold Race, while also continuing to excel on his mountain bike, winning Olympic gold in 2021 and 2024.

Pidcock’s Ineos contract was due to run until the end of 2027, but speculation he might leave early was sparked by a number of apparent clashes with team management, which culminated in him being dropped from the team’s squad for Il Lombardia in October.

After another season of underperformance across the board, Ineos concluded a shake-up of their management structure in late October, which included the exit of sport director Steve Cummings who this week joined Australian team Jayco-Alula.

However, Pidcock remained keen to move on, and has been strongly linked with Q36.5 Pro Cycling, the UCI ProTeam led by former Team Dimension Data boss Doug Ryder.