“Bernal might lose 10 minutes on Blockhaus” - Adam Blythe critical of INEOS after deflated Ben Turner is sacrificed on Stage 4 of the Giro d’Italia

Ben Turner’s visible frustration after Stage 4 of the Giro d’Italia has opened up a wider debate over Netcompany INEOS’ leadership structure, after the Briton was ordered to sacrifice his own shot at victory to bring Egan Bernal back into the front group.

Turner had survived the decisive selection on the Cozzo Tunno and looked one of the fastest riders remaining in the reduced peloton heading into Cosenza. But when Bernal slipped backwards on the climb, Netcompany INEOS committed Turner to the chase, forcing him to drop back and help rescue the Colombian’s GC position.

He still finished fourth on the stage behind Jhonatan Narvaez, Orluis Aular and new Maglia Rosa Giulio Ciccone, but the post-race disappointment was clear. Turner admitted afterwards that “it feels like a big disappointment” and said he had “a lot of legs”, while also stressing that he was proud to have helped Bernal avoid time loss.

That balance between personal frustration and team duty was picked up immediately by TNT Sports’ experts, with Robbie McEwen arguing that Turner should never have been the rider forced into that role.

Turner’s ride was particularly striking because the finale looked well suited to him. The climb had removed most of the pure sprinters, the final kilometres were technical, and the uphill drag to the line gave a powerful finisher a realistic chance.

“We could feel the devastation, even from here,” McEwen said on TNT Sports’ The Breakaway. “I really feel for him because he did such a good ride to hang in there, for a guy with a fast finish, who would have been capable of going head-to-head with Jhonatan Narvaez for the stage victory.”

The former sprint star then turned the focus onto Netcompany INEOS’ structure around Bernal. “If I can level some criticism, there are other riders in that team who should have been there to do that job,” McEwen added. “Ben Turner, if he hung in there, was a potential stage winner. There should be others in that team who have the skillset and the responsibility to be there in that moment to look after Egan Bernal. It shouldn’t have to be Ben Turner.”

Turner had already spent energy pacing Bernal back after the Colombian was dropped near the summit, but still had enough to finish fourth in the final sprint. That only sharpened the sense of what might have been. “It’s got to be really frustrating for Ben Turner to be put in that position when normally someone else would be doing it,” McEwen said. “It’s got to be so tough.”

Bernal remains well placed overall after four stages, sitting close to the top of the general classification, but his difficulty on the first significant climb in Italy raised questions over how long Netcompany INEOS can keep protecting both him and Thymen Arensman.

Adam Blythe was more direct, suggesting INEOS need to be careful not to sacrifice stage winning chances too early for a GC plan that may still be uncertain. “Yes, it’s early in the race and you could argue that he’s riding himself into it, but how long will he be protected?” Blythe said. “That’s something the team need to look at. Ben might not get that chance again this whole race.”

The sharpest line came when Blythe looked ahead to Friday’s first major mountain test on Blockhaus. “Bernal might lose 10 minutes on Blockhaus, and if he does, it’s back to Ben and going, ‘Well done, it’s part of your job, mate’,” he warned. “They need to pick one leader.”

For Turner, the immediate reality is that he did the job asked of him. For INEOS, Stage 4 may have kept Bernal in the Giro d’Italia fight, but it also exposed the cost of that protection on a day when one of their strongest riders might have been racing for the win.