INEOS unveils Tour de France squad and seems to be competing on two fronts

As expected, Carlos Rodriguez will be the leader at INEOS. “It was a difficult start to the season with the crash in February, but I recovered fairly quickly and have been recovering ever since,” said the Spaniard. “The goal was always to be in my best shape at the start of the Tour in July. So far, everything has gone according to plan. I have prepared well with some high-quality training, and I have some superb road races behind me.”

“Of course, it will be a tough race against the best in the world, but we will go for it and try to finish at the front,” Rodriguez continues. “It will be an epic race and a real spectacle for the fans.” He already won once in 2023, when the Spaniard won stage fourteen to Morzine.

Despite a recent crash in Switzerland, Geraint Thomas will also be at the start. It will be the last time the experienced Welsh rider competes in the Tour. “I'm really looking forward to my last Tour. It will be my fourteenth, which sounds crazy. I never thought I would still be competing when I first took part in 2007. I've certainly had my ups and downs, but it's a great race, the biggest and best in the world, and my favorite.”

“It's never easy and always super tough, but this year, my approach will be the same as always: give everything on the road to make the team as successful as possible,” Thomas continues. “We'll all have an important role to play, and I'll definitely play mine. A three-week all-inclusive cycling vacation through France, what's not to like?!”

Performance director Scott Drawer further explains his selection. "We have selected a strong and experienced group of riders with a shared knowledge of how to best compete against the toughest opponents in our sport over three weeks. Carlos will be our leader, given his consistent climbing performances and his unrelenting drive and resilience. He has focused all year on building up to the Tour, and he is starting the race in good shape.

“Carlos will be supported by a group that has ridden multiple editions of the Tour de France and has the experience to handle whatever the race throws at us. Geraint, as a former winner, will be an invaluable support to Carlos and the whole team, both on and off the bike, with all his knowledge and his calm, cool head,” said Drawer.

Alongside Thomas, INEOS has selected a strong eight-man team consisting of Thymen Arensman, Tobias Foss, Filippo Ganna, Axel Laurence, Connor Swift, and newly crowned British road champion Sam Watson. “As a team, we have raced this season the way we like to race: aggressively, with freedom and flair – and we are ready to show more of the same in the biggest race of the year,” concludes Drawer.

Carlos Rodriguez