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The Rise and Fall of INEOS Grenadiers Cycling Team

INEOS Grenadiers had their best season in 2017, when they dominated the cycling world with multiple victories in Grand Tours and other major races.

The Rise and Fall of INEOS Grenadiers Cycling Team

In 2017, the team won the Tour de France and the Vuelta a España with Chris Froome and boasted with other big riders including Geraint Thomas and Egan Bernal.
 
Froome won the Giro d'Italia and Geraint Thomas won the Tour de France in 2018. Bernal won the Tour de France in 2019 and the Giro d'Italia in 2021.
 
Since then the team has slowly lost their dominance, notably in the Grand Tours. The INEOS Grenadiers cycling team has faced several challenges, including key rider departures and performance struggles.
 
This has led to speculation that the team may be "falling apart." Notably, high-profile riders have left, and there have been discussions about the team's future direction and strategy. 
 
Riders like Ethan Hayter have voiced their frustrations over the team's management and performance. Despite having a large budget, the team has struggled to achieve significant victories in 2024, managing only six WorldTour wins
 
There have been some changes in the team's structure and staff to address these issues, but it's clear that there's still work to be done to get the team back to its former glory
 
INEOS Grenadiers have had some notable results in 2024, despite facing challenges:
 
- Filippo Ganna: Won Stage 4 of the Tour of Austria and Stage 14 of the Giro d'Italia
- Brandon Rivera: Won Stage 2 of the Tour of Austria
- Ethan Hayter: Won the National Road Championships in Great Britain
- Tom Pidcock: Won the UCI MTB World Cup XCO in Crans-Montana
- Ethan Hayter (Ineos Grenadiers) National Road Championships in Great Britain
- Joshua Tarling: Won the National Road Championships Time Trial in Great Britain and Stage 1 of the O Gran Camiño
- Carlos Rodriguez Cano: Won the Critérium du Dauphiné Stage 8 and the Tour de Romandie
 
Worse still, the team’s best riders are leaving or want to leave. Ecuadorian champion and Giro stage winner Jhonathan Narváez is moving to UAE Team Emirates and all-rounder Ethan Hayter is moving to Soudal–Quick Step.
 
Tom Pidcock, who this year won the Amstel Gold Race and the gold medal in the Olympics cross-country mountain bike competition, is also unhappy, but is locked into a contract for another 2 years.
 
The changes at Ineos Grenadiers continue with head coach Xabier Artetxe departing the team. The Spaniard was the specific coach for Carlos Rodríguez and Egan Bernal.
 
The lack of grand tour stage victories underscores the team's fall from grace. INEOS, formerly Team Sky, once set the benchmark for dominating entire grand tours, winning general classifications while also securing numerous stage victories. This year, however, they’ve been left grasping for any success, with Ganna’s time trial victory one of the few.
 
With the rise of riders like Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard has left INEOS trailing in their dust. These new stars, along with their equally impressive teams, have exposed the vulnerabilities of a squad that once seemed invincible. 
 

What do you think? All comments welcome!