"INEOS is really the right team" - French champion believes he will perform better with INEOS Grenadiers

Dorian Godon has spent a decade racing in the French scene and after what was the best year of his career, he is moving away from France and joining INEOS Grenadiers with the French national champion's jersey on his back.

"I wanted to progress further. I've really improved this season. I've also made a good step forward with the jersey. So, I think that in a career, it's important to question yourself and also see what's happening elsewhere," Godon said in words to RMC Sports.

In 2025 Godon won the national championships, the Coppa Bernocchi, the Tour de Vendée, a stage at the Tour des Alpes-Maritimes and two stages at the Tour Poitou - Charentes, making for a pretty successful year and one where he also showed a high level in the World Tour stage-races. However, he believes that he can have a higher level than that which he showed himself at Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale.

"I've always wanted to take the next step and join a foreign team one day. And I think INEOS is really the right team," he adds. "I had the opportunity during the season to talk with them, and I was quickly won over. Their expertise on equipment, on many slightly different things, but also a different way of working. Then, you make the switch and start to get comfortable with English. So, in the end, it was a smooth transition".

Alongside Kévin Vauquelin, the two have joined the team and will form an important part as soon as TotalEnergies takes up title sponsor position in the team, likely to happen in 2027. It is a winning combination for both sides: “I’ve always wanted to join a foreign team. But they’ve really changed a bit. They’re more aggressive in certain races. Their way of seeing things, all of that, really appealed to me. Their scientific approach has been known in cycling for years, and I think it can be a real asset for performance today. Cycling has changed; it’s much more focused on position, aerodynamics, and focus. And they have the tools for that. If I want to improve, this is the right path".

The two join Axel Laurance who was signed the previous season to form a French block in the British team. “Kévin Vauquelin? He knows what he wants. We’d already seen each other a bit in October. We've already talked about the races, even if we don't always have the time. Honestly, he's a really laid-back, calm guy. He knows what he wants. Everything's going well. Everyone's really happy to be on the team. We were given a great welcome, everyone's working hard, there's a fantastic atmosphere at this training camp. We're very happy with our choice."

Regarding his calendar, the 29-year old still did not know information when talking to the French news outlet. "It'll be announced before the end of the training camp (which took place in December, ed.); I should have a meeting to finalize my schedule. But I think that in some races, I'll have a chance to win, a stage in a week-long race or something like that".

"I'll still have quite a bit of freedom. In a Grand Tour, it's different: sometimes, everything is geared towards a leader for the overall classification. It will depend on the team's strategy. We haven't discussed it yet. To be continued."