Jose de Cauwer believes "FDJ can certainly become an ally of INEOS" after Geraint Thomas passes on Giro d'Italia lead to Bruno Armirail
Cycling
INEOS Grenadiers made a conscious effort on stage 14 to give up Geraint Thomas's Giro d'Italia race lead. Bruno Amirail and Groupama - FDJ were the benefactors and Jose de Cauwer believes they could repay the favour and become INEOS allies in the final week.
"I expected Jumbo-Visma to ride at a faster pace to keep Thomas in the pink, but nothing happened again," de Cauwer says in conversation with Karl Vannieuwkerke for Sporza. "As a team leader, I would have chosen that. That way you make it a nervous ending. But do they want to make each other nervous? Apparently not. It almost looks like fair play."
The lack of a general classification battle did of course come to the advantage of Groupama - FDJ as Armirail moved into the Maglia Rosa. De Cauwer now believes that alongside Thibaut Pinot, the French duo could now become extra INEOS riders in the final week.
"Pinot and Armirail are good, strong riders. FDJ can certainly be an ally in the final week," he explains. "It's not for nothing that Armirail is the French time trial champion. He can really get wings this way."
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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💗 Bruno 💗 #Giro #GirodItalia
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