"We are here to win the classification with Geraint Thomas" - No bluffing for Geraint Thomas into Vuelta a Espana

INEOS Grenadiers have shifted a lot of attention into the Giro d'Italia and Vuelta a Espana where they'd find better chances of success. Thymen Arensman is a big part of that plan almost having led Geraint Thomas to victory at the Giro, he's looking to do the same at the Vuelta.

"We are here to win the classification with Geraint Thomas. I'm in good shape on my own, so I'll try to stay with him as long as possible, to support him the best I can," the Dutchman told In de Leiderstrui. "That will be interesting. Just like in the Giro, it's good to be able to play multiple cards, but G is our best card. However, if we can put pressure on other guys, that's only good. The team wants to play me as the last man for Geraint."

Whilst Thomas has been shrugging off his ambitions - perhaps in a bluff, perhaps not - Arensman says it plain simple: the victory is the goal. INEOS will have to contest against a very strong Jumbo-Visma and UAE Team Emirates, alongside Remco Evenepoel. Arensman was sixth at the Giro d'Italia and could well also try to aim for the overall classification, in a race where he's thrived last year.

"He's only 23 years old, but really such a young guy of today: very committed, sixth in last year's Vuelta and Giro this year," Thomas said of Arensman in the Watts Occuring podcast. "That could just happen again. At the moment he is very sharp, hopefully he didn't push too much. But he's ready for it. I think my form is really good. I'm lighter than ever, with still the same power. It went well in training, but those are not competitions, so we'll see."

Results-wise the 23-year old has not shown much now heading into the Vuelta, but he's followed the same preparation path as Geraint Thomas so both may be in very similar levels. "I worked hard on it, with heat training and an altitude training in Andorra. That's where I live now, so that makes a lot of difference. I also rode in a heat chamber, which wasn't the nicest thing to do, but I felt the past few days that I benefited from it."

The starting time-trial will be a day where INEOS has a shot at the red jersey, and he comments on it: "Everyone wants to win, that's no different with us. We have a very strong team for a team time trial, with a few bikes and I'm one of them. The first part is technical, so it's important to stay together there, and then crank up the engine with Pippo (Filippo Ganna, ed.) in the second part."