Geraint Thomas explains why disappointing 2026 season still gives him hope for Netcompany-Ineos rebuild
Geraint Thomas has admitted that Netcompany-Ineos’ 2026 season fell short of expectations, with the British team struggling to turn its victories into major results. But after his first year as Director of Racing, the former Tour de France winner believes there are signs of progress that the results alone do not show.
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Speaking on the latest episode of the Watts Occurring podcast with Luke Rowe, Thomas was frank about the gap between the team's ambitions and what it achieved.
“Purely from results, I'd say it definitely wasn't good,” he said. “We had a lot of wins, but they were like smaller wins. It wasn't like any big wins really.”
Netcompany-Ineos finished eighth in the UCI team rankings for the second consecutive season. Dorian Godon contributed five WorldTour victories in his first year with the team, while Filippo Ganna's wins at Dwars door Vlaanderen and in the Giro d'Italia time trial provided two other highlights. Thymen Arensman also finished fourth overall at the Giro, but the team left the Tour de France without a stage victory or a rider in the top ten of the general classification.
For Thomas, however, judging the season on results alone overlooks the work taking place behind the scenes.
“Let's just say we're starting at 20% of what we used to be, just to pick a number. You can't just go from 20 back to 80 straight away,” he explained.
“It's like climbing a ladder, isn't it? You can't go from the second rung of a ladder straight to eight. You got to go to three, four, five.”
Thomas sees progress despite repeated setbacks
The arrival of Oscar Onley, Kevin Vauquelin and Dorian Godon gave Netcompany-Ineos new options for 2026, but their first season together was disrupted by crashes, illness and missed opportunities.
Thomas acknowledged that bad luck had played a part, particularly with Vauquelin's interrupted spring campaign and Onley's crash at the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, which ruled him out of the Tour de France. But he also believes the team still has work to do in how its riders approach races and execute their plans.
Onley’s crash offered an example. Netcompany-Ineos had successfully moved its riders to the front before a technical descent, only for the pace to become unnecessarily aggressive. Thomas felt the initial execution showed progress, even if the outcome was costly.
“The reason for taking control wasn't to nail that descent. It was to be in control and dictate the pace,” he explained.
“I think the fact they executed, like you say, got over the top first is a big plus. I think they all learned then the next phase of that plan and I think they'll all take that forward.”
There were encouraging signs elsewhere. Thomas highlighted Arensman's Giro performance as a significant step forward, particularly his improved consistency and the support he received from Egan Bernal during the final mountain stages.
Netcompany-Ineos now face another season of rebuilding, with Thomas convinced that progress is being made even if the biggest victories remain out of reach.
“I think we've gone up the ladder a couple of steps for sure,” he said. “We slipped a few times as well, but that's all part of it, isn't it?”
