Ineos Grenadiers DS promises his team will be "putting the pressure on, fighting for every opportunity, and taking chances" at upcoming Tour de France
Cycling
Carlos Rodríguez is set to lead Ineos Grenadiers at the Tour de France, where he will be (more or less) supported by other great climbers Geraint Thomas, Egan Bernal, and Tom Pidcock.
However against the likes of Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard or Primoz Roglic, it will take more than just a massive collective strength to succeed. They are well aware of that in the Grenadiers' camp.
"The competition is tougher than ever, but nothing is a given in Grand Tour cycling," said performance director Scott Drawer. "We have been racing this season as the hunters not the hunted and that brings its own advantages. The Giro last month was a perfect example of how we love to race as a team - putting the pressure on, fighting for every opportunity, and taking chances, and it is how we plan to race in France over the coming weeks."
"After a strong and consistent season, Carlos will be leading the Ineos Grenadiers’ charge across France. Carlos has continued to impress us with his racing as well as his professionalism and attitude on and off the bike. Right beside him will be the strength and Tour experience of Egan, with Tom and Geraint providing support but also looking to race aggressively, disrupt and take the race to our competition."
It's not only the four leaders, who have their undeniable qualities. Laurens de Plus rode to 5th overall at Dauphiné. Michal Kwiatkowski is a rider capable of winning the hardest mountain stages, as evidenced many times before. Most recently at the 2023 Tour de France.
"Laurens’ climbing ability will also be invaluable in the high mountains while Castro will bring his trademark selfless and steady presence to the team and will help to drive the pace. And with all his experience and Tour de France wins in his own right, Kwiato will provide insight, protection and look for opportunities on the flats and cross winds alongside Ben, a popular powerhouse of a rider."
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Hopefully Ineos won't have many or any of those "what are they doing days". They do have a strong team. Without a true sprinter, I don't know why they would be at the front pulling the peloton. Save your riders for the end of each day and let attrition take out other GC rivals.
Ha, the pot after calling the kettle black, that would be funny after the stuff they dished out to Alpacin during the Giro.
This team will implode big time in the Tour and it will be Pidcock who pulls the pin.
Tom Pidcock supporting Carlos? Did I read that wrong? I thought Tom indicated that he'll ride for his own GC ambition or else you'll get nothing out of him.
When Pidcock attacks without team orders, they will call it racing aggressively until debunked in the next Netflix special.
Thanks, their strategy makes sense to me now after your explanation.
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- if there is an actual weakness in wout even when completely healthy, it’s that he’s in his head too often. this has been pointed out many times by much more acute observers of cycling than ME, certainly. it may be that he’s been like this since he was a little kid. we are who we are. or that he was shaped by having faced van der poel SOOO many times. mvdp has zero second thoughts. he wastes no time at all on doubt. that has, in the past, led him to do some pretty insane things and make mistakes that wout would never have committed. but it also makes him a killer. you can see wout’s split seconds of doubt and hesitation everywhere in their head to head battles. those hesitations spill over into other races at times like dwars, when doubt creeps in. i believe that currently he is still coming back from physical problems due to injuries, but even when he’s full strength the mental game is an area of potential concern, AND potential improvement.OCexile03-04-2025
- Not only the public, just about every analyst and commentator had been piling it on. Under the circumstances I’d even say he’s showing real character. Not sure likeable Tadej would manage as well during a longer rough patch.Mistermaumau03-04-2025
- Took a while but we finally have a more nuanced analysis.Mistermaumau03-04-2025
- If I remember right, it was those same hungry journalists selling us a different story less than a year ago about the bleak future of Dutch (men’s) cycling with no possible successor for MVDP ;-)Mistermaumau03-04-2025
- Good, hopefully Jonas goes also so we get a nice duelvappaxbipmv03-04-2025
- right? i think it’s hungry journalists that fuel this, and i understand the jam they can be in trying to create stories, but you’d hate to think ANYONE is failing to appreciate how RARE someone like van der poel is (or how LUCKY we are to have both mvdp and pog racing at the same time). a little perspective is a good thing…OCexile03-04-2025
- Anyone know how long that 213km ride took? Coz without that the segment speeds don’t reveal anything surprising. If it took him Less than 5h ok but otherwise it was just some interval training for him.Jumpyjohn03-04-2025
- Hinault was even lighter than Pog at 62 kg when he won PR in 1981, beating Roger van Vlaeminck no less (albeit at the fag end of the latter's career), so it can be done.Cooldude03-04-2025
- Having to shoulder too much pressure from the Belgain public too much that he made a tactical mistake. That's what public pressure does to you. Poor Wout! Hopefully, lady luck befalls him soon.
KerisVroom03-04-2025 - If he's very lucky maybe he can podium a Tour one season, I certainly don't believe he can win it, evervappaxbipmv03-04-2025