Ineos Grenadiers will be known as Netcompany-Ineos from the Giro d’Italia onwards. That news was announced on Tuesday morning at an event in central London, but it has been in the works for six months.
There’s a lot to unpick, with it being a landmark partnership for the squad, the first time it has had a co-title sponsor, as Team Sky or as Ineos. There’s also a lot of talk about AI.
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No official figures were given, but there was reporting earlier this year that it was €100 million in total, so €20 million a year.
While the name has changed, with Ineos now second in the pecking order, the team will continue to be owned by Sir Jim Ratcliffe. André Rogaczewski, the CEO and co-founder of Netcompany, said that there was no hierarchy: “The most important thing is that we have a stable environment around the team.”
Sir Dave Brailsford at the Netcompany-Ineos launch
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Will it still be British?
Yes. Rogaczewski made a big point of how key the UK was for Netcompany and the brand. Ineos are not becoming Danish. Asked about whether the British culture was important, Thomas said: “I think that culture in the team has always been there, and that’s been a key to our success. And I think that’s still an important part to us, really.
“We’ve still got some key guys in the team that aren’t British, and they don’t have to be British to really have that culture. Like Kwiato, he’s been in the team for so long now. I think that comes from British Cycling and whatever over the years. I believe that’s key to our success as well.”
The new Danish sponsors don’t seem to be making huge demands on the team to sign Danish riders, either.
What’s this about AI?
A key part of the new collaboration is that Netcompany-Ineos will use PULSE to streamline all of their data, from training to team logistics, and tactics.
Brailsford said: “I think the key in elite sports at the minute is data, it’s becoming more and more difficult with the blizzard [of data]… we’ve got specialists coming out of our ears now, and with every specialist comes data. That data tends to be stored in different places, different formats.
“One of the things that we’re very excited about with PULSE is the ability to orchestrate all that data into a single, aligned format, and not only to be able to sift out the signal from the noise… but it’s really the ability to take that information and start to look at the predictive value of it, and therein lies the opportunity.”
What about the kit?
The orange-and-white Ineos Grenadiers kit is not long for this world, with a new grey number launched on Tuesday in its place. The old kit has the Tour de Romandie and Eschborn-Frankfurt left, and then it’s over to grey.
What about the white shorts?
They have not been ditched, with their use still reserved for hotter climates. It’s possible the white shorts could still be seen at the Tour de France, or the Vuelta a España.
And finally, will there be a women’s team?
Maybe. Both Thomas and Rogaczewski were pushed on whether this could be a thing by Lionel Birnie of The Cycling Podcast on Tuesday. Neither Sky nor Ineos have ever had a women’s team, despite being one of the richest squads in the world, although Pauline Ferrand-Prévot did ride for them as a MTB rider in 2023 and 2024.
Rogaczewski said “why not”, then “we will look into all kinds of possibilities”. Not a yes, but also not a no.
