“I don’t enjoy climbing, but I asked the DS if I could go really deep” – Ben Turner surprises himself as INEOS climb into GC picture in Valencia

Ben Turner does not pretend to be a natural climber, but on the queen stage of the 2026 Volta a Comunitat Valenciana, the INEOS Grenadiers rider produced one of the most eye-catching performances of his stage racing career.

On a brutally hard day that culminated with Remco Evenepoel’s decisive solo move on Cumbre del Sol, Turner finished eighth on the stage and moved into the same position on general classification, just 1:56 down, with teammate Magnus Sheffield sixth at 1:02. It was not a result Turner had circled as a given, but one he actively chased.

“I had good legs, which was nice, but I don’t really enjoy the climbing to be honest,” Turner said afterwards in conversation with Cycling Pro Net. “It was a bit over my level, I think, but I tried to do my best and see what was possible with the shape. It was a good day, so I was quite impressed.”

Rather than riding defensively, Turner had already made his intentions clear to the team before the decisive climbs began. “I asked the DS yesterday if I could go really deep and see what was possible,” he explained. “They went at quite a hard pace on the big climb out the back. There were only 20 guys over the top, so I thought maybe the legs were quite good.”

That first selection proved pivotal. As the race fractured under the pressure applied by Red Bull in support of Remco Evenepoel, Turner found himself repeatedly responding rather than simply surviving.

“I was a bit unsure what would happen on the second-to-last one, but the legs responded quite well,” he said. “I tried to ride like it was for a result and see what the legs could do, but it was just really, really hard.”

While the headlines centred on Evenepoel’s solo victory and takeover of the race lead, INEOS quietly emerged from the day with two riders firmly embedded in the top ten. Sheffield crossed the line sixth, Turner eighth, both having ridden their own tempo deep into the final climb.

Turner was keen to stress the collective performance, particularly coming a day after Andrew August’s breakthrough stage win. “Also, Magnus was up there as well and was looking really good,” he said. “I think we rode really well today after the win yesterday.”

With one stage remaining, INEOS are no longer chasing scraps or hiding in the wheels. Thanks largely to Turner’s willingness to test himself in unfamiliar terrain, they now head into the final day with two credible GC positions already secured, built not on expectation, but on intent.