During stage five of the Tour Down Under – the day which would decide the eventual winner of the first WorldTour stage race of 2025 – there was a crucial moment. The peloton had ascended Willunga Hill once and were racing along exposed flatlands before going up it for the second time. Wind was blowing hard from the left side of the road and, for those brave enough, there was an opportunity to try and split the race. It was the red jerseys of the Ineos Grenadiers who came to the fore, with five riders in formation, riding hard to force a gap in the peloton. It’s true that in the end with a regrouping at the base of the final climb, the move didn’t have an impact on the eventual outcome of the race. But still, it meant something.
It wasn’t the first time that the British team looked impressively well-drilled and organised during the week’s racing. Even looking back to the opening Tour Down Under criterium last weekend, Ineos put together a strong lead-out for their young sprinter Sam Watson, and likewise on stage three of the race which was billed as the Queen stage, they all rallied around Magnus Sheffield to have his best shot at a result in the general classification. For the first time in a long time, the Ineos Grenadiers have made their presence felt at a bike race.
“There’s definitely a big change in the riders, the staff and the mentality in the team. That begins with the culture, we can be really happy with the group we have here, we really enjoy racing with each other and it’s bound to be a good season this year, but also for the few seasons ahead of us,” Sheffield commented after finishing sixth on the stage to Willunga.
Image: Tour Down Under/Cycling ImagesIt’s no secret that the team has been under scrutiny over the last few years for subpar performances, despite having one of the largest reported budgets in the current WorldTour. Team owner Jim Ratcliffe appears to be placing the majority of his focus on football with his acquisition of Manchester United, and there’s been an overhaul of personnel in the team’s management ahead of this season. Tom Pidcock’s well-documented sudden departure from the team to join Q36.5 Pro Cycling was another fire that Ineos Grenadiers’ press department had to work hard to put out, but it seems like the team is finally able to put drama of the last few years behind them – at least for now.
Tour de France winner Geraint Thomas has been with the British organisation through the highs and lows of the last decade, and believes that they are on the track to redemption: “There’s more emphasis on racing aggressively and we’re talking about it more, mindful that there’s no point riding like we used to in order to protect a top-5 on GC. It’s been a really good group here,” the 38-year-old said after the final stage Down Under.
“We’ve executed what we wanted. On stage three we were all there when it mattered in the technical bit and set Magnus up. The only thing missing was that he didn’t have the last bit to get the result, but everything on the way to that has been really good. That's how we want to treat the year now with the same attitude, belief and morale. It's a really good environment in the team here, then the results will come, it’s just believing in it and enjoying it. There has been change recently but it’s good, we’re on the right path and working towards the right thing.”
Many of Ineos Grenadiers’ tactical decisions during the Tour Down Under have come as a result of the direction from Ian Stannard, the team’s sports director. The British man rode for the team until 2020 when he was forced into early retirement due to injury, and he’s become an integral part of their staff structure at races since then.
“The team’s performance has been really good Down Under, we’ve tried everyday and have been aggressive in the race, we’re looking forward to getting back to Europe with some slightly longer stages and we’ll really come into our own then,” Stannard commented after stage five. “It’s January and the guys are still building, there’s a lot of important goals in the year to come. We’ve looked at the way we are racing and we’re trying to change it, be more aggressive and adapt. We chat with the riders, have had meetings about it and are trying to think of a different way of racing for ourselves.”
Image: Zac Williams/SWpix.com
It’s not only from a tactical perspective that Ineos has taken steps towards altering its fortunes in 2025. The team recently announced that Caleb Ewan would be part of their roster this season as a sprinter, after the Australian struggled to find his feet at Jayco-Alula leading to an early termination of his contract. As the Grenadiers aim to shift away from their general classification ambitions towards stage victories, having a rider who can finish off the job in bunch sprints is imperative if they want to increase their win tally.
“We need a sprinter, so many races end in a sprint and now we’re going for stages, but we can’t even sprint in a Grand Tour, which means you miss a third of the race anyway,” Thomas stated. “I’ve got faith in Caleb, he’s still young, he’s still got it, I’ve still got 100% faith in him that he’ll come back, it’s about working hard and having that group around him and really going after it. He’s got a bit of a point to prove and he needs to use that in the right way. I’m looking forward to the year with him.”
It’s only January and time will tell whether Ineos can really perform in 2025 with bigger goals on the horizon, but their shift in mentality is certainly a positive sign. Over the last few years, part of Ineos’ downfall has perhaps been a reluctance to accept that adjustment is needed to perform in this era of bike racing. Gone are the Team Sky days of methodic lead-out trains on mountains – they can’t do that with their current roster. A different attitude is necessary to get results, and the first step to to the top of the podium is realising that. New signings, a new mentality and a new idea of what success looks like: Could 2025 be the year that Ineos Grenadiers get back on top?
Image: Zac Williams/SWpix.com
