Netcompany INEOS have little to show for at the 2026 Tour de France - How does Geraint Thomas explain it?
CyclingFriday, 24 July 2026 at 14:03
Netcompany INEOS are going into stage 19 of the Tour de France without a standout result to show for, no-one in contention for the overall classification and small chances of turning the situation around. The British team is experiencing one of its toughest Tours ever, and team director of racing Geraint Thomas was asked about the matter.
“Even when I was a rider, I had some tough moments, but I wasn’t the type to just go home and wallow in my own sorrow and cry about it. You get up and you get a plan together and you go again," Thomas said to Cyclingnews.
The team's Tour plans were turned before the race even started, with Oscar Onley - the designated GC leader - crashing out of the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and not being able to take part in the Tour. Kévin Vauquelin, seventh in 2025, was affected by illness in the French race and arrived to the Tour lacking his best form.
With the team abandoning their plans to race for the overall classification on paper, Carlos Rodríguez was also removed from the lineup. The team's priority was fighting for stage wins, and potentially taking the yellow jersey on the opening stage - but there, Vauquelin punctured, and the British team finished a few seconds behind Team Visma | Lease a Bike, just missing out on a temporary yellow jersey.
“The boys are still upbeat and positive and looking to get after it. We started on the back foot, and you’re up against it anyway at the Tour when you’re trying to go for stages, and you know there are only a few days when the breakaway is going to succeed anyway".
Filippo Ganna was close to the yellow jersey on stage 1
Difficult without a sprinter and a top climber
As the race progressed, it became known that Thymen Arensman was eyeing the overall classification, as Thomas argued himself. The Dutchman cracked on stage 6 and Egan Bernal, who had lost 3 minutes in the team time trial, had a strong day and he became the team's GC option. Joshua Tarling and Filippo Ganna were only 10th and 11th in the race's individual time trial;
The Colombian remained in the mix for the Top10 until stage 15 to Plateau de Solaison, where he himself cracked out of contention. Both climbers, having come from the Giro, have no results to show for at the time being. Both Kévin Vauquelin and Dorian Godon, racing at home, have also been far from their best level.
“It’s tough when you don’t have an out-and-out sprinter, and you have Pogacar going for these mountain days," Thomas explains. "But all the boys are motivated, they want to try and get something for themselves and for the team. They’re ready to go after it and that’s all you can ask for really.”
The team is out of the fight for every classification and with only three days of racing remaining, it will be difficult to turn the Tour around. With a budget that is only matched or surpassed by teams such as UAE Team Emirates - XRG and Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe (currently with first and second in the overall classification), there is a sense of disappointment in the INEOS camp.
“For me, you can see it as like pressure and like ‘what if we don’t do this or that’, but we’re privileged to be involved in this sport. It’s sport at the end of the day, it doesn’t really matter, you know, we’re in the real world. We’re super lucky to be in this position, we’re ambitious, and we want to keep pushing forward".
Tadej Pogacar's dominance has hindered INEOS' chances
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A Tour of struggle
But Thomas understands the current situation, and does not hide from it. “If anything, this spurs us on to continue to improve because we have improved a lot since last year. Obviously this Tour has been a bit of a struggle at times, but I think when you look back at the season as whole, we’re definitely moving in the right direction. There are a lot of positives, it’s exciting. I just want to keep going now.”
Bernal and Arensman could be involved in the action as the race heads towards the Alpe d'Huez weekend; whilst the three ascents on the Montmartre on Sunday could provide attackers with a chance in the final stage.
“Since I’ve started I’ve been across a lot of things, just to get an understanding of how the team works. It’s all part of the process, and if I was to go back, I’d still do that because you still need that overview. But now I can start to zone in, prioritize things, and spend more time on certain aspects. I think things will be better that way.”
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
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