Cyclry

Cycling news and humor from industry veterans

No Froome or Thomas at the Tour de France

In a move that’s sure to ruffle the feathers of UK cycling fans, neither Chris Froome nor Geraint Thomas have been selected for the INEOS Grenadiers (yuck) Tour de France squad.

Geraint Thomas will instead ride the Giro d’Italia, and Chris Froome will ride the Vuelta a Espana. Froome has previously won the Vuelta in 2017, and retroactively became the first British grand tour winner when the 2011 edition was awarded to him many years later.

INEOS will be taking the following riders to the Tour:

  • Andrey Amador 
  • Egan Bernal
  • Richard Carapaz 
  • Jonathan Castroviejo
  • Michal Kwiatkowski
  • Luke Rowe
  • Pavel Sivakov
  • Dylan van Baarle 

So, start seething on social media. Or gloating. Either is a lot of fun. We’ll be doing the latter because this announcement means we’re guaranteed not to have to redesign these stickers for at least another year. And probably a lot longer.

The INEOS Grenadiers have today outlined our plans for the rest of the season and confirmed the leaders for each of the Grand Tours.

Sir Dave Brailsford said: “I am very proud that we have several current, and I am sure future, Grand Tour champions in the team. Selecting the right leader in the right race with the right support team is critical and has meant we have had to analyse all the latest information to make sure we are in the best position possible to optimise our performances in the coming months. 

“Egan will once again target the yellow jersey in France and we are very excited to give last year’s Giro winner, Richard Carapaz, his debut in this year’s Tour also. Geraint will target the Giro and take on the opportunity to double up his Tour de France win with another Grand Tour title, with the aim of being the first Welshman to win it. 

“In turn, Chris Froome will target the Vuelta. Chris is a legend of our sport, a true champion who has demonstrated incredible grit and determination to come back from his crash last year. We want to support him to compete for another Grand Tour title and the Vuelta gives him that little bit more time to continue his progress to the top level.” 

The INEOS Grenadiers have also today announced the team of eight riders who will race the Tour de France, which starts on Saturday 29th August in Nice. 

The eight riders are: 
Andrey Amador 
Egan Bernal
Richard Carapaz 
Jonathan Castroviejo
Michal Kwiatkowski
Luke Rowe
Pavel Sivakov
Dylan van Baarle 

Sir Dave Brailsford added: “We have been analysing closely how we can win the Tour de France this year and we have a passionate team united by a common purpose, ready to get the job done.”