"Ineos Grenadiers having two leaders in the team, they can really start to play the numbers game" - Blythe, McEwen and Lloyd believe INEOS can put Giro under pressure
Cycling
INEOS Grenadiers have brought most of their fire into the Giro d'Italia and they seem to be bringing the result from it. Geraint Thomas has surged back to his best form, and together with a motivated Tao Geoghegan Hart, the British team can realistically be in the battle for the overall win as it stands.
"For me, Tao went the quickest up the final climb because he started further back, had to make his way up. Just as he and Geraint got onto Remco’s wheel, you saw him almost take a breath and go ‘we are not going to take this guy with us if we are going to go'," Blythe said in Eurosport's The Cycling Show. "I’m very happy that Primoz is in good condition. But with Ineos Grenadiers having two leaders in the team, they can really start to play the numbers game. That’s what is going to make it very difficult for Remco and Primoz."
Thomas, after a rough start to the season, as been one of the two riders to respond to Primoz Roglic's attack yesterday into Fossombrone. The other was Hart, and the two worked with the Slovenian to take 15 seconds on Remco Evenepoel and the closest chasers. A great sign from the team which has also been in control of the mountainous days, with Laurens de Plus, Pavel Sivakov and Thymen Arensman near the front.
“We got way more than we bargained for and it was so good to see, especially on the back of Remco’s comments the other day – ‘Roglic and his team are nervous’,” McEwen said. “Wow, didn’t they come back in his face!”
The main takeaway from the day was the time loss by the Belgian, which was unexpected perhaps as he shown confidence in the days after his crash. Maybe a bad day or the effect of an injury, more conclusions will be taken in the upcoming days. “He’s clearly still relaxed and I think he’s very confident going into tomorrow. It’s more of the rest of the big road stages to come that I’m starting to think ‘is he going to still have it then?'" Dan Lloyd argued.
The race has been very conservative so far, and it should be on stage 13 that the GC riders create the first big differences uphill.
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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.
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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)...
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- I had no idea about that either.
santiagobenites10-11-2026 - great analysis thanks! appreciate you posting this. I didn't realize CX had a different standard for deviation. this is even more egregious it seems.mij10-11-2026
- As he isn't currently with Red Bull, I guess if he want to race for one more year he needs to find a team. He's 37 so this will be his last year I would guess, unless he wants to race for almost nothing like Froome did.awp10-11-2026
- I think some are making much ado about nothing. Even though Jonas is getting older, before his crash in the Tour, he looked like a solid 2nd all the way home. No one can really climb with Tadej until this year, Eric Mas showed himself which I think was a one off year for him and Paul Seixas has been able to be pretty close to him. Whatever stage race Jonas enters as long as Tadej is not there he is a favorite to win.awp10-11-2026
- Giro or not Giro, he won't win the Tour!MajorPayne10-11-2026
- Very true.awp10-11-2026
- Ciccone had a very strong end of season. Consistently attacking and livening up races. Hope he makes that last leap in progress and starts notching some significant wins. Great rider to watch.Occam10-11-2026
- Me too!!!!!Occam10-11-2026
- they can sign any 100 of top riders today but Pogi will win over Remco any time at the TDF unless something goes wrongabstractengineer10-11-2026
- the time for a GC rider to retire is when they cannot win stages, or have a significant level drop like from winner/podium into top 5/10 consistently. Roglic is still competitive and Froome raced even though he became pack fodder.abstractengineer10-11-2026
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Fighting for every second ⏱️ GC contenders Primoz Roglic, Tao Geoghegan Hart and Geraint Thomas battle to reduce Remco Evenepoel's lead heading into tomorrow's time trials. #giroditalia
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