"I really can't put my finger on what exactly is the reason" - INEOS and Filippo Ganna's abrupt split questioned
Cycling
Netcompany INEOS has been losing several key riders and in the space of months, three riders have ended their contracts with the team prematurely. Amongst them, Filippo Ganna, whom Rúben Silva and Gavin Quinn commented on the CyclingUpToDate Podcast.
The Italian rider had been with the British team for plenty years and has a contract still lasting for several more. Right after the departure of Sam Welsford, also under contract, INEOS has had to change plans for the future once again.
"Why do you think Ganna wants to leave INEOS? Because I was under the impression that it worked," Silva said on Monday, before the move had been confirmed by Lidl-Trek.
"He's a time trialist, so a lot of his goals don't depend on his team. He had leadership in the classics, and he could even sprint once in a while. He didn't really have to do an overwhelming amount of work. It's a puzzling move to me if it is to happen".
"I really can't put my finger on what exactly is the reason, because on the surface, everything is fine," Quinn responded. "You know, like you said, you have leadership in classics. You have a team with excellent pedigree in the time trial, with equipment, focus on time trialing..."
Ganna's relationship with INEOS proved wildly successful over the years, with two world titles, ten Grand Tour stage wins, two podiums at Milano-Sanremo and plenty other top results inbetween.
He has also won with sprinting, and had been an undisputed leader for the past few seasons in the cobbled classics - with a notable win at Dwars door Vlaanderen this spring.
Ganna was also able to perfectly combine his objectives on the road with the track, where he is the current Hour Record holder, alongside five world titles and an Olympic gold medal.
"It is an ideal setup for Filippo Ganna. In a way, he gets to not choose, but he for sure has won their leaders where his calendar is of importance. So he probably does get to pick his objectives with reasonable freedom. And I really can't put my finger on why".
"The only thing I can spring to mind is a potential, not even dissatisfaction, but urge to try and innovate or try something different, a different approach, a different coach, a different setup... That's the closest I can come to a real idea for why".
The Italian's move to Lidl-Trek at this point of year proves to be an incredibly hard hit for the British team, who lose a leader for two separate terrains, with no chances of replacing him with a similar-quality rider, and little time to cover holes.
Filippo Ganna has signed with Lidl-Trek
INEOS signings fail to impress
The team is taking in double junior World Champion Benjamin Noval Jr. next year who might be the team's great hope, but for the large part the 2026-2027 transfer season is set to be a rough one.
The retirements of Bob Jungels and Ben Swift come in addition to the already confirmed departures of Ben Turner, Andrew August, Artem Shmidt, Victor Langellotti and Magnus Sheffield. Turner and August are two proven winners within the team, whilst Langellotti also departed the team mid-season over schedule clashes.
In the meantime, the team has recently announced the signings of Harold Tejada and Markel Beloki. "Quality transfers, but they're not going to change INEOS," Silva put it. "And they're not going to be leaders often either. They're not riders that are going to be in the grand tours in the mix or in the monuments".
"I can't believe that the INEOS are going to have a good transfer market unless they sign Richard Carapaz, which has been rumored, but that's also been dormant over the past few weeks".
The EF Education-EasyPost rider could follow in the footsteps of teammate Michael Valgren, who is also strongly believed to be joining INEOS soon.
Andrew August another killer blow for INEOS
The move of Andrew August to Pinarello - Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team is another transfer that could not be ignored. The American rider, turned 21 only days ago, spent three years with INEOS straight out of the junior ranks. This year he's won the Czech Tour and stages at Itzulia Basque Country and Volta a Comunitat Valenciana.
Notably, INEOS not only lost one of its brightest talents to a non-World Tour team, but effectively spent years developing him and lose August in the year where he begins to perform. The American rider did not get selected to a single Grand Tour during his stint at INEOS, and only once race a monument - the 2024 Paris-Roubaix.
"It's a rider they brought in after straight out of the juniors, and put a lot of work and put a lot of effort into developing," Quinn argued. "And maybe it didn't come as quickly as they initially thought, but in this, I think it's his third season with the team, he's really come of age, and losing him is, I think, a pretty big blow for the team".
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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