How are Bernal, Arensman, and Netcompany INEOS shaping up ahead of the Giro d'Italia?

Friday, 01 May 2026 at 12:45

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INEOS Grenadiers are flying in 2026 — and there is little reason to expect that to change at the Giro d'Italia. The British team watched Giulio Pellizzari win the Tour of the Alps, but Egan Bernal and Thymen Arensman finished second and third respectively — encouraging signs, even if neither gave much away during the race itself.

Both riders were at their most forthcoming at the team presentation before the race started. Bernal spoke about how knee problems had prompted a rest period, followed by an altitude block in Colombia to build towards his main goal in May. A second place overall at the five-day Tour of the Alps — a race he could not possibly peak for — was a significant boost.

Arensman, meanwhile, said preparations for the Giro were going exactly to plan. A crash at Tirreno-Adriatico may have disrupted his GC ambitions there, but on the climbs he has been doing exactly what he set out to do. "I think there has definitely been another step forward," the Dutchman said cautiously.

Off the bike, the relationship between Bernal and Arensman — forged through several seasons racing together — remains strong. Arensman called Bernal "a wonderful human being" and "a great champion." The Colombian was equally warm in return: "Thymen is a supremely talented rider, it is great to have him as a teammate."

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Egan Bernal

Bernal and Arensman target the podium at the Tour of the Alps

Once the racing began, extracting opinions became harder. Bernal spoke of "trusting the process"; Arensman repeatedly said he was "doing what he needs to do." After finishing third overall, the Dutchman reflected: "There was no time trial and I haven't raced much, so it's always hard to gauge form after an altitude camp."

"I won't say I'm brimming with confidence for the Giro — but everything has gone to plan," said Arensman, who had taken a fine second place on day two in a punchy finale. Bernal, too, looked back on five hard days with satisfaction. "I had no expectations and was prepared for anything — even finishing in the gruppetto — but also for a GC fight."

"I've ridden three races in the last six months, so anything could have happened. Some men in cycling are at a different level — but when I pin on a number, I think about winning. This is cycling; anything can happen." Those words came from a rider who, two days after the Tour of the Alps, casually finished fifth at Liège-Bastogne-Liège.

The Colombian has matured. "I would rather be at the front than the back, and a good result is always good. But I have been in cycling for ten or eleven years now and I have learned to trust the process. I have been through hard times with injuries and setbacks, so one race is not going to change the path to the big goal. My focus has been on the Giro for a long time — and it will stay that way."

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Thymen Arensman

Netcompany INEOS counting on top form at the Giro

Sports director Leonardo Basso, who guided the team through the Tour of the Alps, was full of praise for his two leaders' mentality. "As a rider, you always doubt yourself until the race arrives. We are happy with where we are. It is important that those two work well together — having two leaders is a real strength. The Giro is very different from the Tour and the Vuelta: a different landscape, different conditions."

INEOS — who will race as Netcompany INEOS from the Giro onwards — head to Italy in good spirits, and will almost certainly continue the aggressive racing style that has defined the past eighteen months. Attack, don't wait. "We are dealing with a different kind of cycling. It is more aggressive, racing starts further from the finish, and bonus sprints are often deep in the finale. It is partly a different sport, and you have to be ready for that," said Basso.

"In modern cycling it is about the small details — if you collect them all, and you have the right mentality, you can go a long way. I can only say that Egan still has the same mentality as before." And that matters: "If you have that mentality, you can push yourself to your limits."

Probable Netcompany INEOS squad — Giro d'Italia 2026

Egan Bernal
Thymen Arensman
Filippo Ganna
Jack Haig
Magnus Sheffield
Embret Svestad-Bardseng
Connor Swift
Ben Turner

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Bram van der PloegEditor-in-chief

Bram van der Ploeg (35) is the proud founder of In de Leiderstrui, IDL Pro Cycling's parent site, launched in 2018. Finally, he could create stories about the sport he had followed since childhood. He is the editor-in-chief on paper, but prefers to be with his recorder next to a rider, a team bus, or in the mud at a cyclocross race. Every year, from February to the end of May, Bram follows the entire Italian cycling season, from the Trofeo Laigueglia to the Giro d'Italia, with the grand finale in October in Lombardy. During that time, he lives in Tuscany, where he has since come to call Italy his 'home'.

Bram van der Ploeg | Lindkedin | Email

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