According to journalist Daniel Benson, the INEOS Grenadiers are looking to strengthen their youth setup and are currently leading the race to sign Spanish prodigy Benjamín Noval.
The 16-year-old MMR Academy rider has been attracting attention from several top teams since early last year. Benson reports that Noval is on the radar of INEOS Grenadiers, Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe, and UAE Team Emirates.
INEOS appear to be in a transitional phase. The dominant years of the 2010s are now a distant memory, and after a disappointing 2024 season, where they claimed just one Grand Tour stage win, they seem to be shifting their focus towards long-term development.
Their 2025 campaign has started more brightly, and the pursuit of young talents like Noval suggests they are planning for the future. But, Geraint Thomas is retiring at the end of the year, and the team needs new leaders, and fresh legs coming through.
INEOS still have a wealth of talent at their disposal, with names like Ganna, Tarling and Rodriguez springing to mind. But, over the winter they lost the services of Tom Pidcock, and they do not have the GC depth of the 2010s.
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The Pidcock departure was a wake up call, and had been some time coming. With his loss, it appears the British squad are finally accepting their golden years are over, and seem set to embark on a new strategy going forward.
The links to Noval suggests INEOS are looking into youth investment like never before. INEOS do not have an official development team right now, but the link to Noval suggests that this could be about to change.
Noval recently impressed by finishing 24th on his junior Paris-Roubaix debut. He is also a standout in cyclo-cross, having won national titles and placed fourth in the junior race at the UCI World Championships earlier this year.
Fin MajorCycling Journalist
Fin Major is a UK-based writer at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2024. He is the site’s main writer for FAQs and evergreen explainers and has written around 2,000 pieces for the platform. Alongside this work, he focuses on in-depth analysis and covers the biggest races on the calendar, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, providing clear context around performance trends, tactics, and key storylines.
In his reporting, Fin uses reputable data sources such as ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available. Outside of writing, Fin is an active cyclist, which supports his practical understanding of the sport and its demands.
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