Geraint Thomas' final Tour de France marks end of an era for Ineos

When Ineos Grenadiers held their pre-Tour de France media briefing on Wednesday evening, it was instructive that most of the questions were for CEO John Allert about Dave Brailsford’s return to team management rather than for the riders about the upcoming race.

The dominant force in the Tour between 2012 and 2019, Ineos have been reduced to an also-ran in the 2020s as UAE Team Emirates-XRG and Visma | Lease a Bike have made the fight for the yellow jersey an annual duel.

Carlos Rodríguez lines out as the Ineos’ leader, but the Spaniard was understandably vague about his precise ambitions after placing fifth in 2023 and seventh a year ago. “For sure I want to be up on GC as much as possible, but I can’t tell you what the result will be because it depends on many factors,” said Rodríguez, mindful that no combination of factors is likely to propel him onto the podium.

The Tour also doubles as a farewell for Geraint Thomas, though it will not be a lap of honour for the 39-year-old, who has finished on the podium of a Grand Tour in each of the past three seasons. Thomas’ Tour victory of 2018 will always be the emotional peak of his career, but some of his more recent feats – namely his Tour podium in 2022 and his second place at the following year’s Giro d’Italia – were arguably even greater athletic achievements.

While another podium finish is surely beyond Thomas’ reach here, he is keen on the idea of notching up a valedictory stage win, seven years on from his brace of mountaintop wins on the 2018 Tour.

“I’d love to just be competitive, go for a stage. You know, I think a stage win would be amazing,” Thomas said. “You’ve still got to be in super great condition for that, but going after that is a goal, and then obviously being alongside Carlos deep into the mountains and helping him as much as I can really – off the bike as much as on it. He knows what he’s doing anyway, but I think just playing that role in the team and just trying to – well, share my wisdom sounds a bit much, but you know what I mean.”

Ineos were the 23rd and final team to announce their line-up, only confirming their roster on Wednesday afternoon. The delay had heightened speculation that Thomas might miss the Tour due to the knee injury that forced him to abandon the Tour de Suisse, but he downplayed the idea that there had been any doubt about his participation.

“It was horrific, mate, I’ve just done incredible to get to this point, I think I’m an absolute legend,” Thomas smiled. "Nah, in all seriousness, it wasn’t that bad. It was more a precautionary thing with the team and the fact that I got my foot caught behind and twisted my hamstring and calf.

“I got some good training in behind the motorbike with my coach and did as best I could. It's frustrating because it obviously would have been nice to see exactly where I was compared to everyone else, rather than just training, because it's always different, but no issues now and all good from my side.”

Although 2019 winner Bernal – absent here after his exertions at the Giro d’Italia – remains with the team, Thomas’ final Tour marks the end of an era from Ineos. The Welshman is the only rider who has raced every season with the team since its inauguration in 2010, though his Tour experience stretches back even further.

Thomas made his debut in the race as a 21-year-old in 2007, lining out in the colours of Barloworld and reaching Paris in 140th overall. “Back then I was the young British kid, riding because it started in London,” he said. He was an altogether more assured rider by the time he returned to the race in Sky’s inaugural season in 2010, and he progressed thereafter, first operating as a deluxe domestique for Chris Froome and graduating to winning the Tour in 2018.

“Back then that I had no idea what to expect, it was just this whole new world, whereas now, 14th Tour, you do kind of know what to expect,” Thomas said.

“It doesn't make it any easier, but just a lot of experience, a lot of hard yards, and yeah, obviously my place in the team is probably different.”

Thomas’ place in the team might be different again next year, though he neatly sidestepped a question about his possible role in Ineos’ reformed management structure in 2026.

“Maybe behind the scenes we're talking about stuff, but at the minute I'm just concentrating on just doing this race,” Thomas said. “I’ll worry about the ‘afterlife,’ as Ed Clancy calls it, afterwards.”

In the here and now, Ineos will look for stage victories on the Tour, with Filippo Ganna targeting the stage 5 time trial in Caen. The general classification, Dempster acknowledged, is an aspiration rather than a goal.

“I think we need to be realistic about GC, but I think we need to be brave and bold and move the race where we can and hopefully take time in creative ways,” he said. “It's no secret that there’s guys there who are stronger than us, that’s the reality.”