INEOS GRENADIERS
GREAT BRITAIN
Riders: 30 Under 26: 14 Over 35: 2
Key stat: There are 11 Britons in the team – more than any other year since the team’s 2010 inception
How was the off-season?
Out went the tried and tested band, and in came the promising cavalry. Stalwarts like Adam Yates (UAETEAM Emirates), Dylan van Baarle (Jumbo-visma), Richard Carapaz (EF Education-easypost) were moved on, while GC hope Thymen Arensman, 23, joined the squad from DSM, fresh from a sixth place at the Vuelta. He is joined by 18-year-olds Michael Leonard and Josh Tarling. Leo Hayter and Connor Swift also signed.
Biggest challenge
Ineos didn’t win a Grand Tour last season for only the second time in their 13-season history. Geraint Thomas’s Giro bid looks the most promising, but before then come the Classics – the team’s new area of strength. “The team’s make-up, the personalities, the style of racing, and the youth makes it a really exciting project,” team DS Steve Cummings says.
Man on the spot
It’s a contract year for Tao Geoghegan Hart, and the 2020 Giro d’italia winner knows he has not kicked on since claiming the maglia rosa. Should the Londoner, 27, now switch to chasing stages rather than going for GC? “History has told him what he’s capable of – we’ve got to support him 100% so that can be consistent again,” Cummings says.
Ones to watch
Almost fully recovered from his horror crash a year ago, how will Egan Bernal respond? “We’ve got to be patient with him as he’s still going through his rehabilitation process,” Cummings says. If all goes well, the Colombian will be joint team leader at the Tour de France alongside Dani Martínez and Carlos Rodríguez.