CyclingUpToDate Podcast: "They better deliver, because it's a team that has a budget of €50 million" - What can Netcompany INEOS achieve at the Tour de France?
CyclingSaturday, 04 July 2026 at 06:00
Rúben Silva and Kieran Wood have discussed Netcompany INEOS' lineup for the 2026 Tour de France on the CyclingUpToDate Podcast, tackling the removal of Carlos Rodríguez, what the team's ambitions must be and if the British team can even hold the yellow jersey at some point in the race.
The team's GC goals, in which its initial lineup was oriented towards, were put down due to the crash and injuries of Oscar Onley at the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. The Briton is absent from the Grand Depart and Kévin Vauquelin also lacked the form in France to assure the team has a strong option to fight for a top result at the Tour's final overall classification.
"I think and I hope that they go for stage wins, because Kévin Vauquelin was seventh last year, but it was not something that we should already expect every year. I don't think he's a natural Grand Tour specialist, and the Top10 is the very best he can do, even if he's on good form," Silva argued from the Barcelona's Olympic park this Friday morning. "And yeah, they left Rodriguez at home, they brought a team to chase stage wins, and they better deliver, because it's a team that has a budget of €50 million".
Filippo Ganna, Joshua Tarling, Thymen Arensman, Egan Bernal and Dorian Godon are also amongst those chosen to capture stages for the British team throughout the race. But the Tour is not the easiest race to capture wins through breakaways. "I think they can deliver, I think they can net breakaway wins, although this is the Tour, and there aren't that many, so it's not easy at all".
"I think the [individual] time trial is going to be difficult for both Ganna and Tarling, because it goes up, it goes down... You have Evenepoel, Ganna has to bring his climber legs on that day, I think".
"But if they go for breakaways with Ganna, with Tarling, with Arensman, Bernal, and just really commit to it, just really focus on it, just have those guys lose time right away at the start of the race, put them in breakaways from Stage 4, Stage 6 right away, and just really go in heavy don't wait for the second or third week... I think if they do that, and they have some luck with the form and the crashes, if they win two stages let's say, then it's good. I'll put it like that: I put my criticism aside".
Can Ganna and Tarling take an iconic win in France this summer?
The team has brought its two star time trialists to the race, two of the best in the world. In the individual time trial it will be hard to take a win, but they will have a pivotal role in the team's pursuit of stage 1. There will be a yellow jersey to give out, and the team may have it as a priority taking into consideration its renewed ambitions. The removal of Rodríguez and addition of Tobias Foss to the team supports that theory.
But the two riders may have more to say also on the road bike. "I'm not sure about you, but with the likes of Ganna and Tarling, I'd like to see them try and do a sort of Alex Segart role (referring to the Belgian's win at the Giro d'Italia, amongst others, ed.)," Wood argued. "Where they try and surprise the sprinters, because I don't see that enough from people, I don't think. Especially the big powerhouses like those two that kind of hold it off right until the end."
Silva was quick to point out another race situation in which the two may thrive, one that until last year may not have had many hopes of succeeding.
"Since you mentioned that, I remember van Der Poel and Jonas Rickert's breakaway from last year, when both of them went, and van Der Poel was only caught in the final kilometer. Now, it would be very interesting to see Ghana and Tarling against the peloton on a flat day!"
Filippo Ganna will race the Tour de France after a successful Giro d'Italia
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What will Mathieu van der Poel's role in the race be?
The duo also discussed Mathieu van der Poel. The Alpecin-Premier Tech rider, due to the route, has taken a secondary role in the list of stars present at the Grand Depart. The race, unlike 2025, lacks the hilly finales that suit classics specialists such as him. At the recent Tour de Suisse, he finished second to Tadej Pogacar at the race's individual time trial, a great sign in every direction.
"I don't think he's even like a super talented time trialist, but when you're such a good rider and technically when you're so good, you're just going to ride your bike fast everywhere," Silva argued. "I think they're going to try to limit the losses on this first stage and then try to go for yellow. But if van der Poel is going to grab yellow, it's going to have to be to a breakaway at some point in the first week, which is possible, but again, maybe stage 4. Hopefully this ages well".
The Portuguese writer argued that the second stage should be too difficult for van der Poel, whilst the Welshman believes he can never be counted out. Silva pushed forward that the best thing for van der Poel is to shed that pressure away from his own individual ambitions and instead focus on the teams'.
"He comes to the Tour with a split mission. Like Van Aert, if he comes to the Tour half of his job or most of his job is to help a teammate, it puts the pressure away from him. So, it does good. It does good for him and also the media is not going to swarm him with 'what are you going to do every day?' It's day to day. You start the stage and it's like, 'okay, you're going to work for Jasper today. How are both of you guys feeling?' At the end of the day, that ends up making a difference for a rider of this level, of course".
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
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