Netcompany-Ineos will “race aggressively” over the three weeks of the Tour de France, Geraint Thomas promised, as the team announced their lineup on Wednesday.
In the absence of GC-hopeful Oscar Onley, the team is packed with stage-hunting talent, although there is the possibility of general classification success too.
The eight riders are: Thymen Arensman, Egan Bernal, Tobias Foss, Filippo Ganna, Dorian Godon, Michał Kwiatkowski, Josh Tarling and Kévin Vauquelin.
“This team has some great racers who people love to watch,” Thomas, the team’s director of racing, said. “They’ll have the freedom to go for it and race aggressively across the three weeks. Fortune favours the brave. We didn’t come to this Tour to follow the race – we came to shape it.
“Barcelona’s team time trial presents a great opportunity to start strongly. This year we’ve performed well in this discipline so will give it everything we’ve got. From there, it’s going to be full-on and we’re ready to take on the challenge.”
Arensman won two stages of the Tour de France in the mountains last year, and comes into the race off the back of finishing fourth at the Giro d’Italia. He starts alongside 2021 Tour winner Egan Bernal, who finished 10th at the Giro.
“I’m super happy and proud to get selected for the Tour this year,” Arensman said. “I think riding the Giro d’Italia is actually pretty good preparation and I’ve taken some time to recover and look after the body. I have some great memories from last year’s Tour and I’m motivated to be there again and see what we can deliver.
“We have a strong team and it’s a really good group dynamic which is always really important.”
Vauquelin, meanwhile, will race the Tour for Ineos for the first time after he moved from Arkéa-B&B Hotels over the winter. He won a stage in 2024, and finished seventh overall last year, the highest Frenchman. It was not clear whether he would be targeting general classi
“As a French rider, the Tour is always an incredible thing to be part of,” he said. “And this is my first with Netcompany-Ineos so it’s going to be even more special. This is a strong group and I am looking forward to racing aggressively, attacking and hunting for wins together.”
Tarling, meanwhile, has made a remarkable recovery to be in shape for his debut Tour, after he broke his collarbone at the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes last month.
“I’m just super happy and really looking forward to it,” he said. “We’ve got a power team so I’m really excited with the team that we have for the TT and stages, so we’re going to have a good Tour together.”
