Ineos Grenadiers caught to their introduced two-leader basic classification technique for the 2024 Tour de France after arriving in Florence on Wednesday for the Grand Départ, with Tom Pidcock and Geraint Thomas confirming they may goal stage victories and assist protected riders Carlos Rodriguez and Egan Bernal.
Thomas is the skilled veteran and a former Tour winner within the Ineos Grenadiers quartet. He completed third within the Giro d’Italia and appears prepared for a distinct function within the Tour.
Bernal gained the 2019 Tour de France however then his profession was interrupted by his horrible coaching crash. He struggled to be aggressive within the 2203 Tour however has reached a far increased, extra constant stage in 2024, incomes him a GC function alongside Rodriguez.
Rodriguez is a protected staff chief after his fifth place in 2023 and constant 2024 kind. Pidcock was sixth on the latest Tour de Suisse and initially talked of concentrating on the Tour GC, just for the staff to vary his function.
According to the lately launched Netflix ‘Tour de France Unchained’ sequence, Pidcock appeared to defy staff orders through the 2023 Tour de France and experience his personal race, solely to endure within the third week. That sparked solutions of an inner Pidcock-Rodriguez rivalry.
Yet they questioned the Netflix narrative and sat subsequent to one another within the Ineos Grenadiers press convention, with no signal of animosity. The Briton confirmed his stage hunter function, as he additionally thinks in regards to the mountain bike race on the Paris Olympic Games.
“I used to be portrayed because the dangerous man…,” Pidcock steered, claiming that he had not seen the Netflix episode. “It simply makes a drama and it isn’t even in chronological order. But on the finish of the day, we’re racing.
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“At the beginning of the (2023) Tour, me and Carlos have been each going for GC. Then in some unspecified time in the future, somebody comes out on high, and so they’re the one that’s the chief at that time. And that was Carlos. So, it is only a drama. It in all probability made a superb episode, however I used to be the dangerous man. Whatever…”
Rodriguez additionally performed down any pressure with Pidcock.
“Unfortunately they wished to make it entertaining. Maybe they even put some issues out of context to create extra viewers however the relationship between Tom and me is sweet,” the younger Spaniard mentioned, highlighting how Pidcock’s surge to the end on stage 13 made no distinction, whereas his assist later within the Tour was much more vital.
“I hope this yr Netflix isn’t about us anymore. It’s not about us preventing or something.”
Pidcock is of course aggressive and can attempt to use expertise to win levels through the subsequent three weeks.
“I wish to race aggressively, attempt to win some levels. Initially. I do not wish to lose time in GC for the sake of it, but when I want to do this to attain these objectives and successful levels, then that I’ll later within the race,” he defined, suggesting that his GC hopes had been put again to 2025.
“Maybe you may put it like that. With the Olympics, it’s a tough one. Obviously, Egan and Carlos, and Geraint even when he says he does not know the place he’s, all three are rather more skilled riders for GC than me. We cannot actually go along with 4 guys.
“There are totally different ways in which we will assist one another. We wish to come out of this race with success, and nevertheless that comes goes to learn us all. But if within the final week and we’re preventing for a podium with certainly one of these guys, then we’ll go all in for that for certain.”
Rodriguez was quietly spoken however appeared assured of his Tour de France kind and skill.
“We’ll discover out through the race…” he joked when requested about what he can obtain this yr. “But the sensation in coaching racing is best than final yr and the yr earlier than. That’s why I really feel that I made the state step ahead. But we’ll discover out through the race. I’ll give my finest and attempt to do every part I can to attempt to beat them.”
Thomas on Ineos Grenadiers’ race technique
Ineos Grenadiers’ rivals naturally embody Tadej Pogačar, his highly effective UAE Team Emirates squad, and Jonas Vingegaard with Visma-Lease a Bike. Thomas desires to measure Ineos’ 2024 Tour success in opposition to the latest winners of the race.
“I’m tremendous excited in regards to the Tour. We’ve acquired a robust staff,” he mentioned, eager not to consider if it’s the last Tour of his lengthy profession.
“We sat down on the bus briefly, simply to listen to one another on what we wished to get from the race and I feel all of it aligns properly. Obviously, it is nonetheless a problem. It’s 4 good guys plus acquired the remainder of the boys as nicely, like Kwiato and De Plus. I feel a whole lot of guys are able to successful levels.
“As lengthy as we’re all pulling in the identical path, which I’m assured we can be profitable. Of course, there will be bumps within the street, however I feel it is simply coping with them as finest we will at the moment. We’re all clear what we’re coming to attempt to obtain.”
Thomas made it clear that Ineos is not going to experience like Team Sky as soon as did and line out the peloton within the mountains. Now they’re extra of the underdog in opposition to Pogačar, Vingegaard and others.
“Let’s be trustworthy. There’s different groups which have extra of a weight to tackle the race than us and are larger favourites,” Thomas mentioned. “I feel we will race otherwise as nicely. It’s not like we’re simply going to drag on the entrance one after the other and so there’s one man left as a result of that is simply not going to occur.
“I feel Pog is clearly an even bigger favorite than us, together with Visma. I do not assume the stress is on us.
“I feel it might be my final Tour for certain, however I’ll simply be targeted on the racing. I feel I’ll look again as soon as it is all finished. I’m simply tremendous excited to be right here,” he added.
“I missed it final yr doing a distinct programme. It’s thrilling for me to be right here. It’s what I dreamed of as a child. I’m trying ahead to it behind my thoughts. It might be my final. But as I say, I’m not eager about that.”
Watch for Thomas entering into breaks on key mountain levels to chase a stage victory but additionally play a staff function.
“Potentially we might be up the street, perhaps not essentially have the legs for stage, however then you’ve the street for serving to in different methods. I feel the 2 can work nicely collectively.”
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