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Ian Boswell tells problems with INEOS: "I am friends with some riders who in recent years chose not to sign with the team and instead decided to go to Jumbo for much less money"
CyclingWednesday, 29 November 2023 at 21:51
Jumbo-Visma and UAE Team Emirates have taken over the top of the cycling world, overtaking INEOS Grenadiers which ruled the 2010s when it came to stage-races. Most surprisingly however the Dutch team did so without the same financial resources, and former INEOS rider Ian Boswell has revealed that he knows riders who let go of the money in search of success in Jumbo over the British team.
“It was a British team with a very strong identity. They knew very well who they were and what they wanted. Afterwards, they never asked or determined the question again: who are we as a team?” Boswell said in an interview with The Cycling Podcast. “They have stuck to the idea: we are a team for the Grand Tours, we want to win the Tour. But if you look at the selection now: do they have someone who can theoretically do that? I do not think so."
With the departure of many leaders and the injury of Egan Bernal, the team was reduced to a few figures. Into 2024, Carlos Rodríguez and Geraint Thomas make up it's main figures to fight for an overall classification in the three-week races. However it is not expected that they will be able to match the likes of Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard. INEOS over the last few years has taken a step back from the level they had in their Team Sky years, where Boswell raced from some of it's golden years between 2013 and 2017.
“It's a bit worrying. I am friends with some riders who in recent years chose not to sign with the team and instead decided to go to Jumbo for much less money," he admits. Having deep connections with the team and the world of pro cycling - he remains a rider currently, mostly in gravel events despite having retired from the road back in 2019 - he tells that riders currently make the clear option to join Jumbo because of the team's performance. Similar to how Team Sky used to net several leaders from other teams, but having the financial boost to help make it happen.
"Just because of what they have heard internally, because of what is happening at INEOS Grenadiers, because of the culture of the team, the dynamics… The riders I know want to race for a lot less money with a team where they can probably achieve more success, at a team that is more… I don't want to say 'more functional', but a team that is currently higher, a team that is on the rise instead of a team that seems to take a step backwards every year," he concluded.
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