Thymen Arensman and Egan Bernal upbeat at INEOS' Tour de France press conference: 'Three Grand Tours, mate!'

INEOS kicked off the series of press conferences leading up to the 2026 Tour de France. The British team was the second-to-last to announce its team, but it was the first to let its riders speak with the global press. A smiling Thymen Arensman was available to answer a few questions from IDL Pro Cycling.

A press conference with eight participants lined up in a row can sometimes seem quite formulaic, but in the case of Netcompany INEOS, it wasn’t too bad on Wednesday. That was partly thanks to Arensman, who kept the atmosphere lively and gave detailed answers. When a Spanish-speaking journalist asked Egan Bernal if he was also going to ride the Vuelta, it was Arensman who laughed: “Three Grand Tours, mate!”

For Arensman himself, this is the second time he’s tackled the Giro-Tour double, something Bernal has never done. “It feels strange for me to say that I have a bit more experience in this than Egan, having ridden the Giro and the Tour last year. Of course, it went pretty well for me last year with the Giro-Tour double,” he says, referring to his two stage wins in the Tour.

So the Dutchman may be confident, but he’s naturally still keeping his options open. “To be honest, I’m not 100% sure yet, of course, after the Giro, how my body is holding up. So first we’ll start with the team time trial, and then I’ll have to take it day by day to see how my body is doing. In any case, our plan is to race aggressively.”

What Netcompany INEOS means by “aggressive racing” naturally depends on how the race unfolds. “But I think it’s definitely mentally exhausting to compete for the general classification in the Giro and then tackle the biggest Grand Tour, given how massive the whole circus is. That’s pretty tough, of course. So I think you have to manage your time in between really, really well.”

"That's what I did," Arensman continues. "I took plenty of rest. You don’t have to put in as much work anymore because, of course, you already have a Grand Tour under your belt. So it’s all about managing yourself, listening to your body, and trying to prepare as well as possible, and I think we’ve both done that. Otherwise, we wouldn’t be standing here,” he says, referring to himself and Bernal.

Following Oscar Onley’s withdrawal, Kévin Vauquelin’s struggles, and Carlos Rodriguez’s failure to start, the team is beginning the race without a true leader, confirms Head of Racing Geraint Thomas. He also explains that while the team views stage wins as a major goal, they are still keeping their cards close to their chest when it comes to the general classification.

The upcoming Tour de France also has a Dutch connection, with Alpe d'Huez featuring so heavily. How would Arensman feel if he could win there during the final weekend ? “It’s a very special climb. The Dutch mountain, with, of course, the famous Turn 7. I think it’s really special to be able to race there at the end of the Tour.”

"I have some really fond memories of it, because, like so many other Dutch people, I went there on vacation with my parents when I was a little boy," Arensman explains. "Even as a child, I was really eager to tackle that climb—and preferably as soon as possible. Those are wonderful memories."

He was actually there recently, too. “With most of the guys here, we did a top-up camp at the top of Alpe d’Huez with the guys who came from the Dauphiné. We’ve done the climb a few times, but it’s still just as tough as when I rode it as a kid. I’m really looking forward to those two stages, especially Turn 7.”