Rewind six months, and Netcompany Ineos‘ Tour de France undertaking appeared genuinely thrilling. They’d signed some of the thrilling younger GC riders – a British one, at that – in addition to a rising French star, each of whom had completed within the high 10 of the 2025 Tour.
Add these two riders to the group’s current climbers, their wealth of expertise in profitable Grand Excursions, and their top-tier assets and also you had a profitable system, proper? Nicely, flawed, as a result of like many best-laid plans, issues aren’t wanting as promising as they have been six months in the past.
The group’s star signings, Oscar Onley and Kévin Vauquelin, had an incredible begin to the 12 months on the Volta ao Algarve, kicking off enthusiasm about what Ineos have been hoping to attain this 12 months. However since then, their fortunes appear to have waned.
Onley’s torrid 12 months reached its zenith this week when the group confirmed that he would not journey the Tour in any respect, nonetheless scuffling with a „important“ shoulder damage sustained in a really horrible crash on the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes.
Even when it did not seem like Onley was on the degree that delivered him to fourth final 12 months anyway, dropping him is a giant blow nonetheless, each for the group and for his confidence, which appears to have been shaken by the tough months he is had.
You might like
On the time of writing, we imagine Kévin Vauquelin goes to start out the Tour, however he is been hit with sickness within the run-up and his 12 months hasn’t precisely been a breeze, both. He hasn’t suffered fairly the identical unhealthy luck as Onley however he hasn’t excelled, both. Based mostly on his outcomes and the stacked competitors beginning the race in Barcelona, for now it seems to be like he must make a giant bounce to repeat his high 10 end from final 12 months.
So the place do Netcompany Ineos stand? Earlier than the Giro d’Italia, once they welcomed new title sponsor Netcompany, the group have been clear about their long-term aim: to return to the highest step of the Tour de France podium – and never simply someday, however throughout the subsequent 5 years, they emphasised.
The most recent race content material, interviews, options, evaluations and skilled shopping for guides, direct to your inbox!
After all, that is solely 12 months one, the very starting of their undertaking, and nobody stated they have been going to win the Tour this 12 months. However for a group that wishes to win this race by 2031, you’d hope to no less than be difficult for the highest 10 in 2026, and for the second, it is not sure that they are going to.
Who will step up this 12 months?
Proper now, Ineos have an instantaneous problem on their arms. Who’s going to step up and make successful of their Tour de France this 12 months? Lengthy-term objectives apart, the group have a flashy new sponsor who need outcomes and visibility on the greatest race on the planet, be it on GC or elsewhere. If they don’t seem to be going to be battling for the GC, they have to be battling for stage wins. Sadly, unhealthy luck for a number of riders will not actually reduce it as a purpose to not ship on the Tour.
So who can do this? Clearly, loads of hopes will nonetheless be on Vauquelin, particularly while we do not understand how unhealthy his sickness was or the way it would possibly have an effect on him. His fearless and constant driving earned him seventh general final 12 months while driving for a smaller group, Arkéa B&B Lodges. So there may be hope that if he feels nicely, he might nonetheless be combating for the highest 10.
What to learn subsequent
Vauquelin’s outcomes to this point in 2026 have not been overly spectacular, with fifteenth on the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes on his most up-to-date outing, however in equity the nice outcomes that he loved earlier than the Tour final 12 months have been largely in smaller races. He is raced a way more formidable programme this season, and never fairly delivered, however that is to not say the French fervour could not spur him on to search out some magic in his legs.
If he isn’t in GC-challenging kind, Vauquelin ought to readjust shortly and no less than try to go for a stage on one of many early robust days. Paul Seixas will take loads of the French strain off his shoulders, however there’s nonetheless loads of expectation on Vauquelin.
Although we have spent a lot of the 12 months speaking about Onley and Vauquelin, the riders Ineos signed for the Tour, let’s not neglect the riders they already had who can even compete on the toughest phases.
Thymen Arensman gained two of the hardest phases of the Tour final 12 months, and he is solely been demoted from management responsibility for the Tour as a result of he was concentrating on the Giro d’Italia this 12 months – it is not as a result of he is not able to a GC marketing campaign if he is prepared and in a position.
He completed fourth general on the Giro, and while that can have taken loads of his vitality, he is carried out two Grand Excursions in a 12 months earlier than so it is not like he is coming to the Tour with completely empty legs. The third week TT works in his favour, too, given his power within the self-discipline, and if he comes good while different riders fall away, he might replicate GC consequence.
The Dutchman has flown underneath the radar amidst the Onley-Vauquelin focus, however – like he was final 12 months – he might find yourself being Ineos‘ secret sauce.
There’s additionally Carlos Rodríguez who, sure, hasn’t fairly replicated the extent that noticed him end fifth general and win a giant stage in 2023, however that does not imply he must be written off solely. He is had constant if not stand-out outcomes this 12 months, and positively has the Grand Tour expertise.
If the mountains and GC battle fail, Ineos can at all times maintain onto hope that Filippo Ganna would possibly ship, both within the TTT or the person effort on stage 16: Newly topped Polish TT champion Michal Kwiatkowski, who by no means appears to age, could possibly be in with an opportunity of a classic stage victory.
So, given how Ineos have improved on capitalising on possibilities, racing extra aggressively and profitable extra typically, it does appear unlikely that their race can be a complete wash, nevertheless it additionally does not look more likely to attain the heights they hoped for firstly of the 12 months.
The larger image – or greater downside?
Whether or not Netcompany Ineos can nonetheless pull of a 2026 Tour or not, although, questions nonetheless stay over the feasibility of their said goals.
Each Onley and Vauquelin are nonetheless younger and so they clearly have a complete lot of room to develop, nevertheless it should even be stated that we’re in an period the place GC contenders do not are inclined to develop into it – riders like Pogačar, Vingegaard and Del Toro have been excellent, in a short time. Is it even potential to develop into being a Grand Tour winner over 5 years, or is it a case of you both have it at 21 or you do not?
With Onley and Vauquelin, every little thing is in fact pure hypothesis, and notably in Onley’s case a 12 months of crashes and sickness does not erase the uncooked expertise he clearly has, which delivered him to fourth final 12 months with little or no group help. However in professional biking there may be so little time to falter, that it does really feel like this one off 12 months might make a dent in his long-term possibilities as a Tour winner.
The opposite query for Ineos is whether or not their undertaking is as future-looking because it must be. We all know that they have been a extremely efficient Grand Tour group up to now, finessing the mountain prepare tactic and delivering their riders to
So what have Ineos carried out to maneuver into the long run and this new period? Nicely, they’ve a elaborate new sponsor who guarantees to make use of AI to assist them win – even when most different huge groups are already nicely on the AI prepare – however by way of personnel, their management seems to be notably nostalgic.
Dave Brailsford is again as group principal, Geraint Thomas is head of racing, and so they’ve obtained former riders within the group automobiles as sports activities administrators. Their staffing is full of people that helped them win the Tour final decade, however that is the operative phrase: final decade.
Regardless of their good recruitment strikes and injection of sponsor money, the group remains to be wanting considerably caught up to now, hoping that what labored 10 years in the past will work now, and we all know very, very nicely by now that it simply will not.
In Onley and Vauquelin, in addition to Arensman, they’ve contemporary, gifted and high-potential riders. It may not have labored out this 12 months, however there may be nonetheless time for them to get again on monitor and harness the expertise of their riders to work in direction of that lofty Tour de France-winning aim. They simply have to do it within the trendy approach, not the best way of 10 years in the past – and with 2026 already partly scratched off, no less than for Onley, they’re going to have to do it quick.
The world’s greatest bike race deserves world-class protection. Subscribe to Cyclingnews for limitless entry to our unrivalled reporting of the 2026 Tour de France. From Barcelona by to Paris, our skilled group will carry you breaking information, skilled perception, and in-depth protection from each stage because the battle for the yellow jersey performs out. Plus, entry the Cyclingnews app to comply with the motion on the go! Discover out extra.
