"The Tour de France; you can't avoid it anymore" - INEOS Grenadiers' new leader has clear goal for 2026

INEOS Grenadiers has struggled to perform in the Grand Tours over the past few years and simultaneously, it struggled to capture new Grand Tour stars in the market. Hence, as UAE and Visma had their teams largely decided and weren't on the hunt for new leaders, the British team had to go all-out to sign the most promising men on the market. One of them is Kévin Vauquelin, who is going to race the Tour de France later this summer as his main goal.

"I'm back to 100%. I've been working hard with my physiotherapist and with the team. I think I'm in better shape than I was at this time last year; I'm fresher after the break following the Tour," Vauquelin said in words to L'Équipe. Following his breakthrough Tour de Suisse and Tour de France, in which he finished second and seventh respectively, the Frenchman suffered a home injury to his leg, which ended his season prematurely. Nevertheless, the deal with INEOS was already secured by then, and the 24-year-old instead had a very long but non-stressful off-season. Now, he makes his debut with the team at the Volta ao Algarve.

"It's about getting to know the team. We'll have a good squad, and we'll be relying on the number of strong riders. There's no pressure on me; I'm just being asked to get a feel for the team in some great races. And to seize opportunities rather than having a special role. And in the Algarve, there will be an individual time trial; we want to see where I stand in that discipline".

"Because everything is new for me, there are a lot of changes, and they want to protect me. I'll be able to take it more relaxed, with a cohesive team".

Moving from Arkéa - B&B Hotels has been a big change in many aspects, however, most notably perhaps in the calendar that he will follow. After the Algarve, he aims for Paris-Nice, but the rest of the spring schedule and Tour de France preparation remain to be decided, whilst he will not race his traditional season starters.

"For now, we're not looking any further ahead; we'll see how this first part of the season goes with the team. After Paris-Nice, there will be a short break, and we'll see about new goals. But I wanted to experience something different. For the past few years, I've been going to the same places, especially Bessèges (he won the race there last year). We decided on the program together. But Paris-Nice is a real personal choice," he admits.

With a three-year deal on the table, there are ambitions from both rider and team. He finished 7th at the Tour last summer, and with a vastly superior team, he believes that he can improve in the next few years. "Top 5," he states as a goal, whilst he is set to share leadership duties with Oscar Onley next summer, whilst Thymen Arensman and Carlos Rodríguez' schedules remain under wraps.

"After the Tour de France, I'd like to make my mark in a week-long race, to add one to my palmarès in the next two years. And I dream of Paris-Nice because it's in France, in a region where I now live," he adds. Vauquelin initially emerged as a one-week race specialist, as well as a rider who can handle the punchy climbs very well, but he has also proved he can handle the three-week races, which naturally becomes a big ambition for a French rider of his caliber.

"Anyway, there's the Tour de France; you can't avoid it anymore... The French want it, so the team will have to be ready," he jokes. "We'll see, it's still a long way off, and there's a lot of work to do. What's interesting about Paris-Nice is that there's a team time trial, so we'll be able to get a feel for things in preparation for what's next".