Jose de Cauwer believes "FDJ can certainly become an ally of INEOS" after Geraint Thomas passes on Giro d'Italia lead to Bruno Armirail

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."