‘A dream team for Jonas’ - Riis points Vingegaard towards Netcompany-Ineos move

Earlier this week, the British outfit Ineos Grenadiers confirmed that Netcompany will join as a major partner in a deal reported by Cyclingnews to be worth around 100 million euros over five years. The team will race under the name Netcompany-Ineos, with the investment aimed at returning the former Tour de France powerhouse to the very front of the sport.

When the team was launched as Team Sky in 2010 under Dave Brailsford, it operated with the biggest budget in cycling, a dominance that translated into seven Tour de France victories between 2012 and 2019. 

Since Ineos and Jim Ratcliffe took control in 2019, however, the team has been overtaken by rivals such as UAE Team Emirates and Team Visma | Lease a Bike. At the same time, teams including Decathlon CMA CGM, Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe and Lidl-Trek have significantly increased their spending power in recent seasons through new backing.

According to Bjarne Riis, who was Denmark’s last Tour de France winner before Jonas Vingegaard, the new project has the potential to quickly become one of the most appealing options for a rider targeting overall victory.

“Right now, it would be a dream team for Jonas. The best team he could possibly join if he wants to challenge Tadej Pogačar,” Riis told BT. “I absolutely see a match. Visma won’t be happy to hear that, but there’s no doubt. This new team has the people, the resources and the experience required,” he said.

Whether that scenario will materialise remains to be seen. Jonas Vingegaard is under contract with Visma | Lease a Bike until 2028, where he developed into a Grand Tour winner, claiming two Tour de France titles and one Vuelta a España victory through the team’s highly scientific performance setup. That structured approach is widely seen as a natural fit with the Dane’s personality.

But Riis is not convinced the current setup is enough to consistently rival the strongest opposition. “If Jonas has the ambition to win the Tour, this team should attract his attention. That is the level required. I hate to say it, but right now his Visma team is not strong enough.”

He pointed to changes within the squad in recent seasons. “If the team had the same financial muscle that Ineos is now building, they could have challenged Pogačar. But in recent years they have mainly let go of key domestiques who were crucial for Jonas.”

Visma | Lease a Bike is also actively working to strengthen its own position. Earlier this year, it emerged that the team is searching for a new title sponsor to boost its financial firepower in the battle with other top teams. 

Recently, sources confirmed to Domestique that those discussions are progressing in the right direction, helped in part by Wout van Aert’s victory at Paris–Roubaix.

Riis however argues, that Ineos has already the tools in place to rebuild around a clear leader again. “It allows them to build an even stronger team around a potential Tour winner.”

Netcompany chief executive André Rogaczewski has been equally explicit about the ambition, telling TV2 Sport the goal is to win the Tour de France within five years.

For Riis, that level of intent leaves little room for doubt. “I think Visma should be concerned. It would be unambitious for Jonas Vingegaard not to at least look in that direction. I’m not saying he will switch teams, but he has to think about it.”