Luke Rowe labels INEOS rider as ‘Spring dark horse’ after strong Tour of Valencia start

Turner joined INEOS Grenadiers in 2022 and made an immediate impression. In particular, he was frequently visible in the Flemish Spring Classics, recording top-ten results in races such as Dwars door Vlaanderen and the Brabantse Pijl, while also finishing 11th on his Paris–Roubaix debut.

Since that promising first season, expectations around Turner’s spring have remained high. A crash in Omloop Het Nieuwsblad derailed his follow-up campaign a year later, but four years on from that initial breakthrough, the buzz is back again — and his early-season form suggests it is not misplaced.

Turner has already shown good legs in Valencia. In the opening stage, the tall Brit launched his sprint a little too early and missed out on the top placings, but it was on the climbs that he really stood out. On the queen stage — won convincingly by Remco Evenepoel — Turner climbed with the best and secured eighth place on the day, finishing among established climbers such as Aleksandr Vlasov and Damiano Caruso.

Turner’s strong form has not gone unnoticed by former teammates Geraint Thomas and Luke Rowe, who discussed it on the Watts Occurring podcast. “On the last day, when that Movistar guy won, ‘Big Ben’ sprinted so convincingly… after a hard day into a top-ten place,” said Thomas, praising Turner’s performances in Valencia.

Rowe, who retired from racing in 2024, hopes his compatriot can carry this momentum into the Classics and finally turn promise into results. Thomas certainly believes so: “I think this is the year Ben finally delivers on his spring potential.”

Rowe even went a step further, cautiously tagging Turner as a ‘dark horse’ for the Spring. Turner is set to start at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad during Opening Weekend, while INEOS Grenadiers are not scheduled to race Kuurne–Brussels–Kuurne, meaning Turner will not face the busiest possible opening to his Classics campaign.