INEOS Grenadiers under review: Reality check or overreaction?
CyclingSunday, 10 November 2024 at 10:55
Now that the cycling season has come to a close, we go through the results of 2024 for each WorldTour team and take a brief look ahead to 2025. In this episode, the focus is on INEOS Grenadiers, the once all-powerful British team. What happened within this formation in 2025?
One-day races 2024: INEOS Grenadiers
For years, the classics were of secondary importance for INEOS Grenadiers, but in recent seasons, their importance has grown for the British team. Tom Pidcock won the Amstel Gold Race this year and finished fourth in Strade Bianche, while he took eighth place in Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and saw an attack in the final kilometer of Milan-San Remo come up short.
Filippo Ganna also targeted La Primavera, but his chances for a good result in a favorable position were dashed due to a mechanical issue. Besides that, the Italian barely competed in the classics this year, focusing instead on the Olympic time trial. His teammate Joshua Tarling also aimed for this, but ultimately, they had to settle for second and fourth place.
In other major one-day races, INEOS had Pidcock and Magnus Sheffield in the mix, but there was also a low point with the controversy before the Tour of Lombardy. Pidcock, who had just finished second behind Tadej Pogacar in the Giro dell'Emilia, was not selected due to contract issues. It should also be noted that the Brit did become the Olympic mountain biking champion.
Read more below the photo.
(Grand) tours 2024: INEOS Grenadiers
In a year dominated by Pogacar, INEOS Grenadiers finished in the top ten in every grand tour, which years ago would not have been satisfying for the team. Geraint Thomas quickly realized during the Giro that second or third place would be the maximum achievable, which he ultimately secured with a third-place finish. Carlos Rodríguez was the team's lead in both the Tour and the Vuelta, but he could not get the most out of it, finishing seventh and tenth, respectively.
What about stage wins? They didn't exactly reel in many of those either. Jhonatan Narváez claimed the opening stage and, in doing so, the pink jersey in the Giro d'Italia, while Ganna won the time trial in the second week. Rodríguez impressively won the final stages in the Critérium du Dauphiné and the Tour of the Basque Country, while other stage victories were achieved in O Gran Camiño, the Tour of the Alps and the Tour of Austria. During the latter, in mid-July, the victory tally for INEOS Grenadiers stopped for the year.
In terms of overall results in important one-week stage races, INEOS can boast solid performances. Rodríguez won the Tour de Romandie and competed in races such as the Dauphiné and the Basque Country, while Narváez (Tour Down Under), Egan Bernal (Volta a Catalunya, Paris-Nice and Tour of Switzerland), Sheffield (Tour of Poland), De Plus (Dauphiné), Pidcock (Tour of Switzerland) and Thymen Arensman (Tirreno-Adriatico) were involved in major WorldTour races.
Read more below the photo.
Final rating 2024 INEOS Grenadiers
The big question is... How do you rate INEOS Grenadiers? Based on the team it is now or compared to the team it once was? This question seems unanswered as of yet, as even among our (ex-)editorial members, there is still some debate. Based on their scores, the average rating comes out to a 4.8.
Transfers 2024/2025: INEOS Grenadiers
Above, we posed a few questions about how to approach INEOS, but the answer is already found in their transfers. While the team could still easily attract multiple top riders in 2020 (Richard Carapaz, Rohan Dennis, and top talents Carlos Rodríguez and Ethan Hayter) and 2021 (Adam Yates, Richie Porte, Daniel Felipe Martinez, Laurens De Plus and Tom Pidcock), that is no longer the case today.
In recent years, the strategy has often been a combination of mid-level riders and young talents. In the second category, the arrival of Axel Laurance can be seen as a smart move: the Frenchman is considered capable and capable of finishing races. The Brit Sam Watson also showed his potential during his time at Groupama-FDJ. Peter Oxenberg is less known, while veterans like Lucas Hamilton, Victor Langelotti and Bob Jungels are expected to play supportive roles.
This is offset by the departure of the Hayter brothers, as well as the fact that Jhonatan Narváez will leave the team. He is moving to UAE-Team Emirates. Veteran riders like Luke Rowe and Elia Viviani are also saying goodbye to the team, as is the 40-year-old Cameron Wurf.
Read more below the photo.
Incoming: Axel Laurance (Alpecin-Deceuninck), Lucas Hamilton (Jayco AlUla), Bob Jungels (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe), Samuel Watson (Groupama-FDJ), Victor Langelotti (Burgos-BH) and Peter Oxenberg (ColoQuick)
Outgoing (provisional list): Ethan Hayter (Soudal Quick-Step), Jhonatan Narváez (UAE-Team Emirates), Luke Rowe (retired), Leo Hayter, Elia Viviani and Cameron Wurf (all unknown)
Ones to watch 2025: INEOS Grenadiers
Next season, INEOS Grenadiers will have no less than fourteen riders aged 25 or younger. The list of these riders shows that the team should not be underestimated for the coming season. To get the most out of these athletes, the technical staff has been completely overhauled. Kurt Asle Arvesen, who understands really well how to work with young talent from his time at Uno-X, takes the lead in sports management.
He will aim to make climbers like Thymen Arensman and Carlos Rodríguez shine even more, while also guiding versatile riders like Magnus Sheffield, Tom Pidcock, Joshua Tarling and Axel Laurance. And this doesn't even include North American up-and-comers like Andrew August, Michael Leonard and Artem Shmidt.
Add in Filippo Ganna, Egan Bernal, Geraint Thomas, and a midfield of around ten experienced riders, and you have a strong team.
Selection INEOS Grenadiers 2025
- Thymen Arensman
- Andrew August
- Egan Bernal
- Jhonatan Castroviejo
- Laurens De Plus
- Tobias Foss
- Omar Fraile
- Filippo Ganna
- Lucas Hamilton
- Kim Heiduk
- Bob Jungels
- Michal Kwiatkowski
- Victor Langelotti
- Axel Laurance
- Michael Leonard
- Tom Pidcock
- Salvatore Puccio
- Brandon Rivera
- Carlos Rodríguez
- Oscar Rodríguez
- Magnus Sheffield
- Artem Shmidt
- Ben Swift
- Connor Swift
- Joshua Tarling
- Geraint Thomas
- Ben Turner
- Sam Watson
- Peter Oxenberg
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Latest Comments
- Van Aert is really handsome. He can influence me all day! Ditto for Philipsen. Why do you think many of us love cycling?: to see heroic attempts at climbing mountains at high altitudes or to watch speedsters sprint for the finish line or to watch a human being ride at break neck speed down a tricky descent? No, it's all about their lean physiques and muscular legs. (apologies for objectifying these dedicated and amazing athletes).BarwonHeadsUp25-10-2024
- It is unfortunate that the author can't feel the joy that Pogacar brings to the sport and his fans who are legion and I for one feel lucky to have watched such a memorable performance and historic season From the Strada until yesterday with multiple wins in stages in both tours and beyond dominance in the World's. He is proud to wear the Rainbow stripes, shows his leadership to protect his fellows and is as courteous and sportsman-like as the sport allows. He goes early to not have to respond to each attack as all the rest would make him do it. Any racer who could would do the same. Don't "grow tired" of greatness as it is always fleeting.ccrider13-10-2024
- What load of rubbish. Pog is likely a once in a generation cyclist, the like of which hasn't been seen since 'the Cannibal '. How many people were complaining that Merckx was making racing predictable? I remember this year's World RR as one of the most exciting I've watched. Mainly BECAUSE Pog was the favourite and launched what everyone thought (Pog included) was a suicidal attack with 80km to go. For the next 2 hours, I was on the edge of my seat thinking "this is too much, even for Pog". Maybe Zonnefeld prefers the snooze-fest that is a bunch sprint? Like most people I know, I can't watch two hours of the bunch riding very fast... I wait for the final 5km and watch just the sprint. In any event, most races are won from a sprint or lone break. What difference does it make who makes the lone break? Ultimately, the other contenders will have to figure out a way to beat Pog. Even if that means collaboration between teams. It's going to be an exciting few seasons, until the next Pog arrives on the scene. If this is boring, heaven knows what exciting looks like!Michael513-10-2024
- This is not a gravel race. UCI fail, from the surface they are on to team tactics. In what country was the first "gravel race" in what country is the most popular gravel race? Go with the race model that created the discipline.
Barnes127411-10-2024 - And don't forget he has now won 4 of the big 10 races (Grand tours, Monuments and WC/OG) in one year with a chance to make that 5. (5 has only been done once before)Joostmehrtens05-10-2024