We all love a little drama, especially when it’s not our own. And this season, INEOS Grenadiers have delivered a masterclass in team turbulence. From management shakeups to unexpected roster changes, the British powerhouse that once dominated cycling headlines for its obsession with ‘marginal gains’ has seen its control over the peloton slip. Their star rider, Tom Pidcock, nearly defected after being snubbed from Il Lombardia, fueling rumors of discontent. Meanwhile, Director of Racing Stephen Cummings has departed, key riders like Ethan Hayter and Jhonatan Narváez are heading to rival teams, and the team’s win count has dipped below past standards.
As the team tries to regroup, we can’t help but wonder: Is INEOS in serious trouble, or are they simply navigating the rough waters of a new era? With their British-centric identity and historic focus on Grand Tours, is the team equipped to evolve, or is it time for a shakeup, perhaps even a long-overdue women’s program? Let’s dig into the season’s ups and downs to see where this once-unstoppable team might be heading next.
From Marginal Gains to Major Strains
The team’s origins trace back to 2010, when it launched as Team Sky with a mission to develop British talent, nurturing stars like Sir Bradley Wiggins, Chris Froome, and Geraint Thomas. Known for their meticulous approach to ‘marginal gains,’ Team Sky gained a reputation for innovation—and an unmatched budget. They made headlines for practices that seemed radical at the time, like altitude training camps and bringing their own mattresses to races—now standard at the top levels of cycling.
But therein lies a challenge: with Wiggins, Froome, and Thomas leading the team to multiple Tour de France titles, can any current roster truly live up to those high standards? The team’s commitment to fostering British talent remains strong, but it’s a limiting mandate. Tom Pidcock is undeniably a rising star, with Olympic gold medals and World Championship titles to his name, yet his build may present challenges for achieving sustained success in long, grueling World Tour races.
The team’s rebranding in 2020 marked a new era under sponsor INEOS, a British chemical giant. INEOS Grenadiers, named after INEOS’s own 4x4 vehicle, added a quirky edge to the team’s image—and some unique sponsorship dynamics. INEOS’s involvement in sports, from marathoner Eliud Kipchoge to cycling, has prompted questions around sportswashing, though it’s been less scrutinized than British Cycling’s Shell sponsorship or UAE Team Emirates’ backers.
With that, we’re caught up on the team’s history, but let’s dive into the real story: the turmoil shaking things up this season.
Key Exits and Leadership Shifts
This week’s announcement that Director of Racing Stephen Cummings, a former racer and Tour de France stage winner, is leaving the team wasn’t entirely unexpected, but signals that INEOS Grenadiers may be treading water. “I’m aware there has been some speculation, so I just wanted to clarify my situation,” he wrote on LinkedIn on November 6.
I’ve reached the decision to step away from INEOS. This may seem like a big move, but I’m now ready to begin a new phase of my career. It’s been a privilege to work with such a talented group of riders and staff for the last four years. I’d really like to take this opportunity to thank them for their support and dedication. I’ve always enjoyed and thrived working in a high-performance environment, and I will continue to have significant involvement in the sport. My focus is now on a new challenge within professional cycling.
Meanwhile, INEOS has seen other notable riders exit ahead of next season. Jhonatan Narváez, Luke Rowe, and Ethan Hayter are all moving on, with Rowe retiring and transitioning to a sports director role with Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale, Narváez signing with superteam UAE Team Emirates, and Hayter joining Soudal-Quickstep.
In addition to these changes, INEOS’s search for a stable GC contender has also been impacted by Egan Bernal’s serious crash in early 2022. The 27-year-old Colombian, who had a breakout 2019 season with victories at Paris-Nice, the Tour de Suisse, and the Tour de France, and a Giro d’Italia win in 2021, was once the team’s strongest hope for Tour de France success. However, while training in Colombia, Bernal suffered life-threatening injuries, including fractures to his spine, femur, and ribs, as well as a punctured lung. His recovery and return to racing have been nothing short of remarkable, yet he has understandably struggled to regain his pre-accident form.
This leaves INEOS without a clear GC leader, underscoring the importance of nurturing emerging talents like Carlos Rodríguez, who, at 23, is under contract through 2027 and represents their best Grand Tour hope. With impressive results, including second-place finishes in the Tour de France and Criterium du Dauphiné young rider classifications, Rodríguez will need robust support and mentorship to fully develop his potential—a challenge for a team with an average age nearing 29 and a shortage of experienced leaders.
The Pidcock Crisis
Cummings’ exit is perhaps less dramatic than Tom Pidcock’s rumored potential move to Swiss-based team Q36.5 Pro Cycling, a shift that ultimately fell through but reportedly followed tensions with INEOS leadership after his exclusion from Il Lombardia. Despite the friction, Pidcock recently joined the team’s latest training camp in Manchester, suggesting fences have been mended for now. (Cummings and Pidcock were reportedly at odds, which may have influenced Cummings’ decision to leave once Pidcock’s departure seemed off the table.)
Pidcock, despite his accomplishments—two-time Olympic mountain bike gold medalist and cyclocross world champion—has yet to make a major impact in road racing, with wins at Strade Bianche in 2023 and Amstel Gold in 2024, but only a single Tour de France stage victory (though an undeniably remarkable one). His forays into mountain biking and cyclocross add to his star power, but challenge the cohesiveness of a team focused on road racing’s most prestigious titles, like three-week stage races.
Thomas expressed frustration with the team’s decision to exclude Pidcock from Il Lombardia, stating in an Instagram takeover on Eurosport, “It’s just messed up.” He added, “He’s not happy, the team’s not happy. How has it got to this point? I don’t know. People who are around Tom I don’t think help.” Thomas’s comments reveal both his support for Pidcock’s potential and a disconnect between INEOS’s management and riders.
The lack of communication from team management only deepened the divide, as Thomas pointed out, “I saw that Zak [Dempster] had said it’s a management call, it’s not a performance call. I certainly don’t know anything about that. We’re just riders, what do we know about management?” His words illustrate the frustration among riders who feel left in the dark on critical decisions affecting the team’s trajectory.
Thomas further emphasized the value Pidcock brings to the team, saying, “He’s a great talent… it’s not good to see that situation.” With the team facing questions about its leadership and future, the Pidcock crisis underscores the need for clearer communication and a unified approach if the team hopes to re-establish itself at the top.
Outpaced and Outspent
With teams like UAE Team Emirates boasting budgets in the $60 million per year range, the British team is no longer the biggest spender, as it was during the Team Sky glory days. While INEOS remains competitive and among the top spenders with an estimated budget of $50–55 million, the team doesn’t seem to have the same innovative edge that made Team Sky so distinctive.
This year, INEOS managed only fourteen wins, a sharp contrast to Team Sky’s debut season in 2010, when they secured thirty victories (to put this in, Tadej Pogačar alone has claimed twenty-one wins this year).
Adding to this challenge, INEOS has continued to rely on aging riders for Grand Tour results. Thomas, at 38, delivered an impressive third-place finish at this year’s Giro d’Italia, but he was ultimately unable to seriously challenge the likes of Pogačar. While Thomas’s performance is a testament to his experience and endurance, it underscores INEOS’s lack of depth in younger GC contenders capable of taking on cycling’s rising stars. This dependence on veteran riders reveals a potential weakness in the team’s roster, highlighting the need for a fresh generation of talent to restore their former dominance.
The cycling landscape has shifted, but it’s not just about bigger budgets. The sport’s evolution has brought widespread access to big data, wearables, and advanced tech—advantages that once set INEOS apart. Now, with other teams equipped with similar resources, INEOS’s traditional focus on British talent no longer provides the edge it did in the peak years of Wiggins and Froome. As international riders increasingly take the spotlight, INEOS may need to broaden its approach to stay competitive at the highest level. Signs of this shift are already visible: in 2019, Team Sky’s roster was composed of 30 percent British riders, while INEOS’s 2025 lineup will feature only 23 percent British representation. This evolving roster reflects a gradual move towards a more diverse, globally competitive team.
And who knows—if boosting the win count is truly the goal, maybe they should revisit the idea of adding a women’s squad.
INEOS’ New Performance Blueprint for 2025
Can INEOS Grenadiers make a comeback? Given the team’s history, it seems likely. Team Sky experienced a similar decline before reinventing itself as INEOS Grenadiers, so perhaps another rebranding—and a major shakeup—could set the stage for a resurgence.
The team’s comeback may hinge on their commitment to a newly defined performance structure developed under the guidance of Dr. Scott Drawer, who joined as Performance Director in early 2024. After a six-month review of INEOS Grenadiers’ operations, Drawer outlined a new approach focused on three specialized streams: Grand Tours and stage racing, Classics and one-day races, and future talent. This new direction, informed by insights from disciplines like track cycling, cross-country skiing, and triathlon, aims to refine each element of training and race strategy.
“I’ve spent six months listening, observing, and working with the team to determine what’s needed to set ourselves up for excellence for 2025 and beyond,” Drawer said. “We have a highly motivated, hungry, and ambitious team... that collective energy and desire will set us up for the challenges and opportunities that await in 2025.”
The plan also includes new hires, such as Norwegian former pro Kurt Asle Arvesen, returning as a lead Sport Director, and Dr. Mehdi Kordi, a British track and sprint specialist, taking on the role of Head of Performance Support and Innovation. CEO John Allert echoed the optimism, calling the new structure “key to building the next chapter for the team” as they strive to re-establish their legacy.
Can Budget Caps Give INEOS a Competitive Edge?
Another potential boost for the team could come from the introduction of budget caps and spending limits, which might slow the expansion of wealthier superteams like UAE Team Emirates. While such regulations often have loopholes, and the concept of a budget cap remains controversial, even a slight leveling of the financial playing field could benefit a team like INEOS, which currently sits just below the top-spending tier. However, to truly capitalize on this, INEOS’s leadership and riders will need to cultivate a more cohesive and supportive team environment.
CEO John Allert appears keenly aware that the team hasn’t met its former standards. His public acknowledgment of this is notable, especially coming from a team leader. “Our new performance structure and approach are key to building the next chapter for the team,” he stated, emphasizing INEOS’s commitment to climbing back to the top of the podium.
As INEOS Grenadiers prepares for a new chapter, only time will tell if their restructured approach and fresh talent pipeline can reignite the spark that once made them an unstoppable force. With a more diverse roster, renewed focus on performance, and lingering questions around internal cohesion, the team faces a pivotal moment. Can they evolve to meet the demands of today’s hyper-competitive cycling landscape, or will the ghosts of their past success continue to haunt them? For a team that built its legacy on innovation, the answer may lie in how well they adapt to change.
