Tom Pidcock could be in line for GC at the 2023 Tour de France, but his initial focus will be on his return from a knee injury that plagued him for nearly two years and delayed his 2022-23 cyclocross campaign.

In the absence of Geraint Thomas and Egan Bernal, the 23-year-old was the only representative of Ineos Grenadier at the 2023 Tour route presentation in Paris on Thursday.

Pidcock flew from Los Angeles to Paris to begin laying the groundwork for the upcoming season. His time on the bike was short, and his top priority was to heal and fully recover from the pain in his knee.

"With the help of the team and Red Bull, I went to Los Angeles and did a more intensive rehabilitation program. Now I want to continue that and heal once and for all," Pidcock told Cycling News in Paris.

"It's been going on since last February. I can still ride my bike, but I have pain in my knee. I've had periods when I was in good shape and periods when I was in bad shape.

"It's not enough to hinder my performance. The main thing is sprinting. I'm not sprinting as well this year as I did last year because I'm too sore to sprint in training. That's the problem right now."

Pidcock, who earlier this year extended his contract with Ineos through 2027, added: "I'm not doing as well as I did last year.

Pidcock has yet to begin his cyclocross campaign as rehabilitation continues. The season is still young and he has only just reached European soil, but even so, there is no set timetable for the world champion's return to the field.

"We don't have a timetable yet," Pidcock said. 'It's going to be in about three weeks, but we haven't talked about it yet. My coach has COVID so there was no conversation about training camp last week."

No matter how this winter goes, Pidcock has his sights set on the 2023 Tour de France. Pidcock has his sights set on the 2023 Tour de France: "What I want to do in the Tour next year is up to me."

Pidcock is already a world cyclocross champion, an Olympic mountain bike champion, a classics champion, and a Tour de France stage winner. He could target any number of Tour de France stages next year, but he probably has bigger things in mind.

"I want to win the Tour one day. I don't know if I'm good enough next year," he told Cycling News, suggesting that the entire season could be structured with that in mind.

"Maybe I'll do more stage races, to gain kilometers on the climbs and ascents. But I don't really know."

Despite explosive efforts in CX, MTB, and classics, Pidcock won the 2020 U23 Giro, and there were always signs that he had the engine to become a legitimate Grand Tour contender.

His Tour debut this year was a hasty change from his original Giro plans, but it underscored the point. Despite physical problems that interrupted his preparations, he won the big mountain stage to the summit of the Alpe d'Huez and started the final week in the top 10.

"It gave me a lot of confidence, especially with the challenges ahead, such as last minute decisions, COVID, and missing the mountain stages of the Tour de Suisse. As a result, I did not have the best preparation.

"Also, the experience and understanding of the Tour ...... It's nice to be able to go back to the Tour knowing what to expect.