“My success depends on how others perform. It’s no longer all in my hands”: Geraint Thomas on redefining control at the INEOS Grenadiers

For almost two decades, Geraint Thomas built a career on measurable precision. Power numbers, race plans, marginal gains. His success was tangible, calculated and, above all, in his own hands.

Now, as Director of Racing at INEOS Grenadiers, that equation has changed.

“My success depends on how others perform. It’s no longer all in my hands,” Thomas admitted in conversation with Tutto Bici Web as he learns to live with this new reality.

It is a simple line, but it captures the sharpest contrast in his post-retirement identity. The rider who once measured his season in watts and seconds now measures it in the performances of others.

Thomas officially stepped into his new role on January 1, moving from the saddle to the team car after a 19-year professional career that included victory at the 2018 Tour de France and podium finishes at both the Tour and Giro d’Italia.

“Now I’m Director of Racing with the team, and that means I mainly focus on the individual preparation of the riders,” he explained. “The general classification riders are a priority, but I also try to support the guys for the Classics like Ganna and Tarling. I try to make sure everyone reaches their goals.”

That breadth of responsibility reflects INEOS’s broader structural reset heading into 2026. With Dave Brailsford once again exerting hands-on influence at the top of the project and a wave of younger riders integrated into the roster, Thomas occupies a crucial middle ground between legacy and evolution. “It’s an advantage knowing most of them for years. I have their trust,” he said. “But I’m also there for the new arrivals, like Vauquelin or Onley.”

His role is deliberately measured. “I don’t have to tell the guys to do this or that, but I share my experience with them. Not only with the riders, but also with the coaches and the sports directors. In short: as a rider, what mattered was how fast I was; now what matters is how fast the others are.”

The philosophy is collaborative rather than authoritarian. “I don’t impose anything, but I give my opinion when they ask for it. I find the balance between being present and not getting into their heads. As a rider, there’s nothing more annoying than someone starting to ask all kinds of questions after a race.”

INEOS began 2026 with early victories and renewed momentum after a period of recalibration. Whether Thomas deserves direct credit is not something he claims. “You should ask them whether I’ve had a positive impact. I just try to be a sounding board when they need one. I don’t claim to know all the answers, but I’ve seen and experienced a lot over the years.”

Yet his emotional investment is clear. When Carlos Rodriguez lost the lead at the Tour de la Provence, Thomas felt it deeply. “When Carlos Rodriguez was leading the Tour de Provence but was beaten by Riccitello, I felt really bad,” he admitted. “It’s the riders who have to cross the line first, not me. That’s the strange thing about my job.”

That strangeness defines the transition. The pressure remains, but it is refracted. Control has shifted from execution to influence.

“Nineteen years in the professional peloton is enough for me. No, I don’t miss racing and I’m really happy in my new role,” Thomas said. “I can also see how the team is evolving again in the right direction, how everyone is rowing in the same direction. There’s still a lot of work to do. We’ve started well, but it’s only February and the real work is still to come.”

For a rider whose career was defined by precision and process, redefining control may be his most subtle challenge yet. At INEOS, success is no longer measured by how fast he can go, but by how effectively he can help others do the same.