Steve Cummings has confirmed that he has left his role as Director of Racing at Ineos Grenadiers after months of uncertainty surrounding his future and position on the team.
Cummings was promoted to his senior role at the back end of last year. He was then controversially left out of the team’s on-the-ground management group at the Tour de France and was not seen at a race again. His last race in person for the team was June’s Critérium du Dauphiné.
The British former pro was also not mentioned in a series of recent staffing updates from Ineos, which included the news that Kurt Asle Arvesen was returning to the team to work as a lead sports director.
For weeks Ineos staff have insisted that Cummings' absence from races was of little significance and suggested that he was deep in preparation for the new season. This was the message when Cummings was absent from the Tour of Britain Men as well as other smaller stage races.
The team have regularly been unable to comment when asked by Cycling Weekly when Cummings would return to on-race work.
Cummings confirmed on LinkedIn on Tuesday evening that he has now left Ineos Grenadiers and issued the following statement.
"I’m aware there has been some speculation so I just wanted to clarify my situation," Cummings said. "I’ve reached the decision to step away from Ineos. This may seem like a big move, but I’m now ready to begin a new phase of my career. It’s been a privilege to work with such a talented group of riders and staff for the last four years. I’d really like to take this opportunity to thank them for their support and dedication."
He added: "I’ve always enjoyed and thrived working in a high performance environment and I will continue to have significant involvement in the sport. My focus is now on a new challenge within professional cycling."
As well as the Tour de France, Cummings was not included in the team’s management group for the Giro d’Italia or Vuelta a España meaning he missed all three Grand Tours this year.
Ineos CEO John Allert, as well as other senior team officials, insisted during the Tour that Cummings was supporting the team remotely but this was contradicted by DS Zak Dempster who said that he felt it would be "impossible" for Cummings to play an important role from home.
At the time sources close to the situation told Cycling Weekly that Cummings absence from the biggest race of the season was in part due to his apparent fractured relationship with Tom Pidcock. The duo’s relationship was said to be severely strained and Pidcock then told Cycling Weekly at the team presentation in Florence that he felt Ineos would be "better" without Cummings at the Tour.
Pidcock was heavily linked with a move away from Ineos for the second half of the year, with Q36.5 Pro Cycling said to be his next destination. However, the move has been reported to be off in recent weeks despite Pidcock’s surprising deselection from Il Lombardia.
Geraint Thomas gave his input on Pidcock's tense relationship with Ineos and said that he felt Pidcock's entourage "did not help" the situation.
Pidcock was then seen at a Manchester United match with several Ineos teammates last weekend. The Premier League giants are now owned by the Ineos group headed up by Jim Ratcliffe.
Sources told Cycling Weekly that Pidcock’s situation meant little to Cummings' future and that they felt there was no way back for the 43-year-old on the team regardless of whether the British star left, or not.
Cycling Weekly reached out to Ineos Grenadiers for comment on Cummings' departure and will update this article when the team responds.
