Tom Pidcock admitted to being "a little frazzled mentally" as speculation grew about his mountain bike gold medal win at the Paris Olympics, the subsequent celebrations, and his future with Ineos Grenadiers.

Pidcock finished 13th in the Olympic road race, but admitted that he struggled to react and be active in the long, intense race won by Belgium's Remco Evenpole.

"It was a little sluggish and slow with no extra punch.

"It wasn't like me. I didn't sleep much after the mountain bike ride and a lot of people gave me birthday cake for my birthday. I had a really slow week to refresh myself. I was mentally drained from the Olympics and all that."

Asked to clarify his position on his future, the Yorkshireman replied: "Yeah, so I'm a little frazzled mentally."

Pidcock added nothing further, and the British press officer quickly terminated the interview.

On Monday, Pidcock won his second consecutive Olympic cross-country mountain bike gold medal, recovering from a flat tire and making a daring move on the final lap to pass France's Victor Koretzky.

The same day, journalist Daniel Benson, via his substack page, suggested that Pidcock might try to leave Ineos Grenadiers. Rival teams also seem to be aware that Pidcock may break his current contract and move teams, depending on negotiations.

The Flanders newspaper Nieuwsblad named Red Bull-Bohra-Hansgrohe and Riddertrek as two teams interested in signing Pidcock. Red Bull-Bohler-Hansgrohe has received investment from the Energy Drink brand and is also rumored to be linked to Remco Evenpole.

Cyclingnews has heard from several sources that teams are interested in Pidcock, but the Yorkshireman's contract has no termination clause, so he would have to negotiate forcefully to leave Ineos.

Ineos performance director Scott Drewer told Cycling News during the Tour de France that Pidcock is considered an important part of the British team.

"Tom Pidcock is under contract with us until the end of 27 years. He is a generational talent," Drawer said.

"Tom's long-term desire would be to fight for the GC, and I think he would like that. We look forward to supporting him in that mission. He definitely has an important role on the team in the long-term future."

Pidcock's agent, Andrew McQuaid, denied any transfer talk to the media and emphasized Pidcock's appeal.

"Would other teams be interested in Tom? He is one of the best riders in the world and few are as multi-talented as he is.

"The problem with long-term contracts is that circumstances can change over time," McQuaid added. Tom signed a five-year extension for 2022, and so far, he's accomplished all of his goals as negotiated."

When contacted by Cycling News, a spokesman for the Ineos Grenadiers responded: "We do not comment on 'transfer speculation' regarding contracted players."

Pidcock was occasionally seen near the front of the pack in Saturday's road race, but admitted that due to mental and physical fatigue he is now ready to rest.

While the Olympics were a major goal, he also set his sights on the Tour de France and overcoming COVID-19.

"It was hard to refocus," Pidcock admitted, citing the impact of winning gold in a mountain bike race last Monday.

"I was able to switch my focus today, but the mountain bike race sapped my energy. I didn't have enough punch today. So I wasn't able to race as I should have."

Pidcock will travel to the UK for a day on Tuesday and is looking forward to a bit of time away from the spotlight.

"I think I will go home for a day on Tuesday before I go back to Andorra.

"From the beginning I said I would concentrate on road racing and I was road captain. I said I would focus on mountain biking, then I would focus on road racing with the men and enjoy the racing."

"My expectations were to race, and it would have been great to get a medal. But the pace was slow and I just kept going. I had no punch. I didn't feel like myself."

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