With Brailsford back, INEOS Grenadiers dares to dream big again: "We want to win the Tour"

In recent weeks, the once-dominant INEOS Grenadiers have been frequently in the news ahead of the Tour de France. For example, a sponsorship deal with TotalEnergies was announced, Adidas will become the team’s new clothing sponsor, and one top talent after another has already signed with the team for the future.

While we shouldn’t expect miracles in this year’s Tour de France, Dave Brailsford is regaining his influence in management. The Brit was for years the mastermind behind Team Sky but had recently been working as Chief of Sports at sponsor INEOS. In that role, he oversaw all sports projects, including soccer club Manchester United.

The rumor that Brailsford would soon return to cycling has now been strengthened by Benson, who claimed that the late announcement of the Tour squad was directly related to the big boss. “Dave Brailsford is back in a big way. He’s the one picking the Tour de France team, which was finalized on Tuesday evening.”

Cyclingnews soon followed up with an explanation from the team. “Dave has fully committed to this. There’s no doubt about it, and he’s loving it,” said INEOS team manager John Allert about the Brit’s return. “He’s like a kid in a candy store when he talks about climbs and getting back to the mountains. For him, that’s the battlefield he knows and loves.”

“We’ve welcomed him back into the team with open arms,” Allert continued. “He’s like a not-so-secret weapon for us to use, and we plan to make full use of him. It’s great to have him back.” The team reportedly denied that Brailsford’s return had anything to do with the delayed Tour selection announcement. It was said that recent illnesses and injuries within the team were the reason for that.

With Brailsford back, INEOS is feeling ambitious again. “We want to win the Tour, but there’s no point in just saying you want to win – you have to do something about it. That’s partly why it’s so great to have Dave back. Dave loves a performance-driven challenge, and this is the biggest one,” said Allert.

“Dave and everyone at INEOS, everyone on the team, wants to win the Tour,” the team manager continued. “We have to do more than we’re doing now, we have to be better than the people dominating right now. That’s what we’re doing. We’re going for it, and that’s our mission. That’s why it’s so great to have Dave with us.”

Allert also explained the new sponsorship deal with TotalEnergies. “I think since 2010 we’ve earned the right to be called a superteam. We’re a superteam that needs to win more. Winning isn’t cheap, and budgets just keep going up. We used to be on top, but not anymore. It’s not just about money, but also about competence, strategy, resources, hard work, and all those good things.”

“Having Total as a partner for INEOS is hugely beneficial, both industrially and in sports,” Allert continued. “Bringing in other partners like Adidas is also valuable, and we have other ongoing discussions that aren’t finalized yet. It’s fantastic to realize that we have something that attracts investments, as well as interesting riders for next year and beyond.”

“But the journey continues,” the team manager added. For example, the end of Thomas’ career doesn’t mean the end of a chapter. “We are a GC team that wants to win the Tour, and that’s never changed. We’ve become a bit more expressive, aggressive, and flamboyant in the way we race. That’s thanks to the great guys wearing our jersey. I think in ten years you’ll look back at this era as a turning point toward a new chapter of success,” Allert concluded.