Other teams have in recent years boosted themselves significantly in the mountains but INEOS Grenadiers looks to not fall behind. The British team have extended with Laurens de Plus for another three years and look to have him as a luxury domestique in the Grand Tours.
"The story continues! I’m so happy that I can stay another three years in the team," de Plus said in a message shared by the team. "In Belgium we say ‘good things take time’ and hopefully I can continue to get better in the next few years and I believe that we will continue to keep growing, developing and creating stories. I feel like I have my place in this team now and everybody knows what my capabilities are and that’s a good feeling."
In 2018 and 2019 the Belgian broke through the top of the cycling world with Jumbo-Visma but struggled through 2020. INEOS were quick to pick him up into 2021, and after a few difficult years he has now came to his own. He finished in the Top10 of the Giro d'Italia despite being in a fully domestique role and being INEOS' only third option. He played a key supportive role in the mountains throughout the season but was cut short at the Vuelta a Espana where he crashed out in the opening team time-trial.
"I hope I can repay the confidence the team has in me and I can win some nice races together with my team-mates," he says, now with the team officially into 2026. He has a big goal in mind and hopes to help the team's ambitions in it: "My dream is to win as many Grand Tours as possible as a team-mate and I think that the INEOS Grenadiers is the best team for that."
2⃣0⃣2⃣6⃣ ✅ @LaurensDePlus extends for the next three seasons with the Grenadiers 🤝 🗣️ "The story continues! I’m so happy that I can stay another three years in the team. In Belgium we say ‘good things take time’ and hopefully I can continue to get better in the next few years…
