“Everything is forgotten” – Sir Dave Brailsford’s quiet return questioned as INEOS Tour de France crisis deepens

Sir Dave Brailsford is back in a leading role at Netcompany INEOS, but the team’s results at the 2026 Tour de France have done little to ease the pressure surrounding the British squad.

Egan Bernal is 11th overall, while INEOS remain without a stage victory and have no rider inside the general classification top 10. Kevin Vauquelin has been unable to challenge near the front of the standings, Filippo Ganna has had little influence on the race and Thymen Arensman crashed during the opening week.

Against that backdrop, Dutch journalist and former professional cyclist Thijs Zonneveld has questioned both Brailsford’s return and the limited discussion of the controversies that surrounded Team Sky under his leadership.

“The past few years have not exactly been fantastic,” Zonneveld said on the In de Waaier podcast. “There have been some wonderful successes, such as Arensman’s two stage victories last year.”

INEOS have continued to collect important individual results since their period of Tour domination ended, but they have not won the race since Bernal’s victory in 2019.

Brailsford became more closely involved with the cycling team again during 2025 before formally taking the roles of Team Principal and Director of Sport. He previously led Team Sky and INEOS through seven Tour victories between 2012 and 2019, with Bradley Wiggins, Chris Froome, Geraint Thomas and Bernal all winning the yellow jersey during that period.

“It is one of the richest teams in the peloton,” Zonneveld said. “Much more is being demanded by owner Ratcliffe. That is why Brailsford is back in his old position, which in itself is already quite something.”

Brailsford had moved into a wider position across INEOS Sport and later became involved with Manchester United. His return to cycling placed him back at the head of a team that has spent several seasons trying to close the gap to the leading Grand Tour squads.

At the current Tour, INEOS have remained outside the contest between Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard. Their best-placed rider is Bernal, while the search for a first stage victory continues.

Zonneveld’s comments also returned to the scrutiny of Team Sky’s medical practices during Brailsford’s time in charge. A parliamentary report published in 2018 concluded that the team had crossed an “ethical line” in its use of therapeutic-use exemptions and triamcinolone. It alleged that the corticosteroid had been used to improve Wiggins’ power-to-weight ratio rather than solely for medical treatment. Wiggins and Team Sky disputed that conclusion.

The investigation into a medical package delivered to Team Sky at the 2011 Criterium du Dauphine also raised questions about the team’s medical records. No anti-doping charge was brought against Brailsford.

Zonneveld also referred to the tribunal involving former British Cycling and Team Sky doctor Richard Freeman. Freeman was found to have ordered banned testosterone gel while knowing or believing it was intended for an athlete. The proceedings did not establish that Brailsford ordered the product or knew about it.

“Testosterone patches that had been ordered, a doctor who supposedly lost his laptop and was facing legal proceedings, an employee who was said to have erectile problems and for whom those patches were supposedly intended,” Zonneveld said. “That was the team Brailsford led. And Mr Brailsford is back in his old position without there having been any commotion around it. Everything is forgotten.”

Zonneveld also mentioned Wiggins’ appearances on Lance Armstrong’s podcast. “Bradley Wiggins now appears with Lance Armstrong on his podcast,” he said. “He has crossed over to the ‘dark side’. Wasn’t he once strongly against doping?”

He added that Wiggins’ financial problems offered important context for the decision to work with Armstrong.

Brailsford has not been found guilty of an anti-doping offence, nor was he found to have ordered the testosterone involved in the Freeman case. Zonneveld’s criticism is directed at the absence of wider debate around his return to the team he previously led.

Brailsford’s return has coincided with further changes to the sporting structure at INEOS, but the team are yet to re-enter the Tour’s general classification contest.

Their current position has placed renewed attention on the direction of the project and the decision to restore Brailsford to a central role. The seven Tour victories remain an important part of his record, while Zonneveld believes the investigations connected to the same era have received much less attention.

For INEOS, the immediate issue remains sporting. The team enter the remainder of the Tour without a stage win and with Bernal still trying to move into the overall top 10.