Ineos Grenadiers
Looking for: Another yellow jersey win with Egan Bernal
Ioft’s difficult to remember a time when Ineos Grenadiers (formerly Sky) didn’t reign supreme over the Tour, with seven
the last eight editions all being won by their riders.
Such success doesn’t come by accident, and Ineos have made the most of their enviable financial advantage by buying up the world’s best talent. Colombia’s Egan Bernal has already shown his worth by winning the yellow jersey last year, and looks likely to deliver many more in future years. The team then further broadened their strength in depth with the signing of the Ecuadorian victor of last year’s Giro d’italia, Richard Carapaz.
Consequently, Ineos boast an almost unprecedented embarrassment of riches. At most teams Carapaz would be leader, here he has had to compete to become a domestique for Bernal with 2018 winner Geraint Thomas, and four-time winner Chris Froome. The major news this month, was that Carapaz won that battle, with the two previous British winners being ousted from the Tour team, with Thomas and instead being slated for the Giro and Froome the Vuelta.
It certainly raised a few eyebrows, but even the most ardent fans of the British pair would probably concede that their showing in the Critérium du Dauphiné, losing time to potential Tour rivals, suggested hadn’t yet peaked in form.
Ineos has had a more turbulent year than most in 2020. Following months of rumour it was revealed in July that Froome would be moving to Israel Startup Nation for 2021. While all sides have remained fairly reticent on the subject, it was almost certainly the team’s reluctance to allow Froome sole leadership at the Tour —
instead going for a three-pronged approach with Bernal and Thomas — that was the catalyst for his departure.
Worse though, was the sudden death of their popular Tour de France lead DS Nico Portal in March. The Frenchman had shepherded the team to six Tour wins and was universally well-loved; his death left colleagues and riders reeling.
This September in France Ineos will be aiming to put the difficulties of the past eight months behind them and re-establish the status quo.
With Carapaz a key mountains domestique for Bernal and capable of a high GC finish, the pair will be backed by the on-form Pavel Sivakov. The 23-year-old Russian was second at Route de l’occitanie and rode strongly at the Dauphiné. New Costa Rican signing Andrey Amador and Michał Kwiatkowski will also ride, with the team completed by Jonathan Castroviejo, Luke Rowe and Dylan Van Baarle.
STAR: Egan Bernal (Col)
The youngest winner of the Tour in over a century, Bernal looks primed to dominate the race for years to come. His continuation of the Colombian tradition of glorious climbing, combined with an unusual sturdiness and speed in time trials for one so light, is what makes him so unstoppable.
HITTER: Richard Carapaz (Ecu)
As au fait with his favourite cartoon, Spongebob Squarepants, as he is with how to win a Grand Tour, Carapaz was expecting to be defending his Giro title, but also has designs on the Tour de France too. He has had a steady start post-lockdown with sixth on GC at the Tour of Burgos and a win in the Tour of Poland’s hilly stage three.