Netcompany INEOS have had a difficult season, and into 2027 they have lost several of their leaders. On the CyclingUpToDate Podcast, Rúben Silva and Gavin Quinn have addressed the British team's difficulties - and what could change in the near future.
"If you go through some of the major performances, and especially like the marquee races Ineos need results in, they're lacking. You can't hide from it," Quinn said. "Five years without a Grand Tour victory, it will be six now going into 2027... Egan Bernal in the 2021 Giro is the last time they got that".
The team's last monument victory was in 2022 with Dylan van Baarle, and in both fields the team's performances have regressed over the past few years. Several of its leaders in the early 2020's have departed, whilst the leading block was not replaced accordingly.
"Tour de France, not an awful lot for INEOS to be positive about. They can argue that they were seconds away from the team time trial victory, maybe, but the performances there - maybe what they lined up at the start of the year, having Oscar Onley and Kevin Vauquelin there - didn't work out".
"Maybe on the positive note, Oscar Onley's sixth place in the Vuelta is a forward step, certainly for him settling in the team and heading into a second year. But this was a multi-million euro investment - plus the contract for Oscar Onley. So it's not necessarily paid off for INEOS in the first year".
INEOS' Grand Tour performances leave much to desire
"When you look at the Grand Tours, the monuments... There's plenty of other races, but when you look at these, you understand that there aren't many big results really to take from," Silva argued. At the Giro d'Italia, he didn't understand the team's overly conservative tactics.
"In the end, the team lost that third place in the podium that would have maybe... I wouldn't say saved the season, but given the tactic, given the strategy a good point and a good justification. Having raced in the way that they have and then still come away without the podium, difficult to take in".
At the Tour de France, Onley's injury and Vauquelin's illness saw the team on paper going in without GC goals, instead focusing on the initial team time trial and stage wins. But neither was accomplished in the end, whilst the team's tactics conflicted with what Geraint Thomas had spoken about.
"At the Tour de France at the time, I was highly critical of the team's lineup selection and following the race, the outcome was disastrous. I can't go about it any other way".
"I didn't understand why Bernal was trying to chase GC all the way to stage 14 or 15. I don't understand why Thymen Arensman would be selected, as he never even reached close to his level. So I don't quite understand why he was selected if the team had some sort of indication that he wasn't going to reach his level".
The British team came away from the Tour without a stage win, seeing Dorian Godon and Filippo Ganna also struggle to perform at their expected level. "And the team didn't net a stage win during the Tour. That would save the race and they didn't net a stage during the Vuelta a España [either], where the field was more modest".
At the Vuelta Onley finished sixth and captured the youth classification, but the team was not in contention for the podium for long, and lacked a stage win.
"I understand their acceptance of not riding GC in the Tour de France in the era of Tadej Pogacar, Vingegaard, Seixas," Quinn argued. "They just don't have a leader that can compete at that level right now. So that's completely understandable".
Thymen Arensman's fourth place at the Giro d'Italia at INEOS' best in the 2026 Grand Tours
Massive losses for 2027
However into the upcoming season, the British team's outlook might not improve. "The future just isn't getting brighter. The team hasn't signed riders that promise to deliver what the team needs and ultimately, it's just a rough year for INEOS," Quinn continued.
Departures of riders such as Magnus Sheffield, Ben Turner, Filippo Ganna and Andrew August might weight heavy on the British squad. "August's situation, while it's not the only one that I find complicated for INEOS, I think it's the most dramatic," Silva believes. "And I am going to use this term because August signed with INEOS as an 18 or 19 year old. He was very, very young".
"He signed a three year deal with Pinarello Q36.5, a great team, a team with immense potential, world tour level, but not part of the World Tour [...] It's almost like INEOS was Pinarello's development team when it came to August. And I have no doubt that he's going to go to Pinarello, he's going to perform at least as good as he has this season".
But the youngster was not the most striking departure from INEOS. Without little anticipation, Filippo Ganna and INEOS split mid-contract, with the Italian joining Lidl-Trek.
"Three riders that leave the team mid-contract, but Ganna is the rider that most consistently wins big for INEOS. And the problem is that the team doesn't win anything from it".
"It happened so late that it doesn't appear as if the team has the possibility of signing a big rider now to not even compensate, because I don't think you can replace Ganna".
Amongst the signings is Benjamin Noval Jr. who might be one of the world's best in the coming years. However when it comes to the 2027 season, it might be too early for the Spaniard to have major influence, whilst the team might suffer heavily away from the mountainous and hilly races.
"None of them, or only a few of them, shout Classics - or shout Cobbles, shout versatile sprints to you," Quinn added, pointing out the team has lost its spring classics block. And within the signings, there are no standout names as obvious leaders for upcoming years.
"There's no strikers, like you said. Yes, they do have some good team leaders, but for me, I think the transfers here still revolve around Vauquelin and Onley".
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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santiagobenites10-11-2026 - great analysis thanks! appreciate you posting this. I didn't realize CX had a different standard for deviation. this is even more egregious it seems.mij10-11-2026
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