“I was completely dead at the end” - Dorian Godon gives INEOS much-needed lift after turbulent week
Cycling
Dorian Godon gave Netcompany INEOS a much-needed positive at Gran Piemonte, fighting his way back after being dropped on the final ascent of La Morra before sprinting to victory in Bra for his seventh individual win of the 2026 season.
The Frenchman beat Anthon Charmig and Alberto Bettiol after a chaotic finale in which defending champion Isaac Del Toro and Finn Fisher-Black were only caught inside the closing kilometres, before crashes further disrupted the reduced group on the run to the line.
The result arrived at the end of a turbulent few days around the British team. Daniel Benson reported this week that Egan Bernal could be considering retirement at the end of the season despite terms having been agreed over a new deal through 2029, although the Colombian's entourage has since pushed back against that suggestion. Filippo Ganna's future has also come under scrutiny, with the Italian linked with an early exit to Lidl-Trek while still under contract with INEOS through 2027.
For Godon, the drama was confined to the road. After losing ground on La Morra, he managed to regain contact with the front of the chase as Del Toro and Fisher-Black pressed on ahead. Their advantage had been around half a minute inside the final 10 kilometres, but the pursuit eventually brought them back with the finish rapidly approaching.
“The whole team gave 200% for me”
Speaking to Cycling Pro Net after the finish, Godon joked that his victory tally could even be counted as eight if the team's time trial success in Paris was included. “We’ve worked really hard,” he said. “I’ve also had quite a few second places, so I think it’s nice to finally have as many wins as second places.”
Despite eventually coming away with the victory, Godon admitted his sensations had been far from perfect deep into the race. “I love this kind of finish, but at the end of the season it’s always difficult to know exactly how the legs are feeling,” he explained. “I didn’t feel amazing, but the whole team gave 200% for me in the finale.”
That support continued right through the closing kilometres, including from Bob Jungels on the final day of his professional career. “Even Bobby, who is retiring after this race, was still there working for the team, which was really cool,” Godon said, before also crediting Axel Laurance. “Then I just followed Axel, who managed the finale really well for me.”
The race became increasingly chaotic after Del Toro and Fisher-Black were caught, with a late crash adding another complication on the twisting roads towards the finish.
“It was a bit twisty at the end and there was the Astana crash, but I managed to get through and give everything until the finish,” said Godon. “I knew I needed to be at least in the first three with 200 metres to go. That was really the hardest part before the final sprint.”
Charmig launched from the front, but Godon was able to come around him before the line, completing a turnaround from being distanced on La Morra to taking the victory. Half an hour later, the effort was still being felt. “I’m starting to feel a little better because I was completely dead at the end,” Godon admitted.
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Paris-Tours now “just a bonus”
The uphill and technical approach to Bra was far removed from the type of flat finish usually associated with the pure sprinters, something Godon was more than happy with.
“I like Italy. You’re always finishing up in these little villages, with twisty roads and hard finishes,” he said. “I prefer this kind of finish to completely flat ones. I’m more of a puncheur than a pure sprinter.”
Gran Piemonte also completed the main objective he had set himself for this final block of racing. “The goal was to win at least one of these three races,” Godon explained. “At Bernocchi I messed up the sprint a little bit, but now Paris-Tours is just a bonus.”
Sunday will be Godon’s final race of the season, with his family also expected to be there. “I want to enjoy my final race of the season,” he said. “My family will be there, so it’s really just a bonus now.”
Paris-Tours brings very different demands, particularly across its gravel sectors and often unpredictable finale, but Godon regularly incorporates gravel into his own training and is looking forward to the challenge. With the result he wanted from this final block already secured in Bra, there is no longer any need for Sunday to rescue the closing weeks of his season.
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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- He won in exactly the same way as others. By being the fastest to complete the stages.mobk08-10-2026
- Very surprised del toro couldn't beat everyone here against lesser competition. He's well on his way to being top 5 in the worldbruins3008-10-2026
- Being the best rider left in the race is pretty much the only way to win in any edition, surely? Seems reductive to say "they only won because the entire peloton wasn't as absolutely stacked as it could've been" - you can only beat who is in front of you.wrsty08-10-2026
- I’m sorry but generally the coverage on your site is first class but this incident highlights something I just don’t get with cycling journalism. This accident should never have been allowed to happen, it comes uncomfortably close to the Finlay Tarling tragedy and two other incidents took place within days of this. I checked all of the cycling websites and you all put out basically the same story. Pidcock gave journalists the perfect opening to blow this sky high, what has the UCI got to say? What is Adam Hansen doing? What do the organisers say? Nothing, you all trot out the same easy quotes taken from Pidcocks interview after the race but do nothing to follow it up. I see it time and time again, journalists taking the easy way out but being outraged when it happens again as it surely will. Riders can’t do this but journalists should be independent and should be able to raise these uncomfortable questions but cyclinguptodate and every other on line publication prefer to take the easy way out. That’s the real tragedy here.Paul53108-10-2026
- Happy to help :-)Mistermaumau08-10-2026
- Well, ok but, it’s also a structural, team, budgeting, direction and all sorts of other issueMistermaumau08-10-2026
- I wouldn’t call it an analogy but maybe his criticism is a little unfair. On the other hand, the fact Cicco made a public affair out of it despite having received all the explanations and proof makes me feel he now deserves being criticised for not accepting there is nothing to discuss.Mistermaumau08-10-2026
- Much as I like him (one of my favourites), I do want to attract a little attention to the coincidence of his recent performances in the current context. Not the first time a rider improves noticeably when there’s a job interview to prepare. In the same lighthearted humour of his, i hope the UCI will let him wear it at home as the rules quite strictly state you can only wear it during participation in the discipline you won in, and we all know how capable they are of interpreting rule interpretation ;-) Also, if it’s going to be retirement (please not), I wouldn’t call that an agreement as somebody will probably feel they didn’t get what they wanted.Mistermaumau08-10-2026
- Agreed. There used to be a team willing to pay though. I take all these figures (that vary enormously according to who is publishing) with handfuls of salt. We don’t know how salaries are treated (especially between a UK employer and Andorran resident), we don’t know how numbers are derived and from where, if deductions have been taken into consideration, etc. but if he returns to Colombia, he’s going to need quite a bit in protection money.Mistermaumau08-10-2026
- And another one gone, another one gone, another one bites the dust. Ah gonna get you too…Mistermaumau08-10-2026
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