Ineos Grenadiers caught to their introduced two-leader normal 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 are going to goal stage victories and help 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 unique position 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 greater, extra constant degree in 2024, incomes him a GC position alongside Rodriguez.
Rodriguez is a protected group 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 group to alter his position.
In accordance with the just lately launched Netflix ‘Tour de France Unchained’ collection, Pidcock appeared to defy group orders in the course of the 2023 Tour de France and experience his personal race, solely to endure within the third week. That sparked ideas of an inner Pidcock-Rodriguez rivalry.
But 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 position, as he additionally thinks concerning the mountain bike race on the Paris Olympic Video 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 you realize and it is not even in chronological order. However 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 prime, they usually’re the one who’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. No matter…”
Rodriguez additionally performed down any rigidity with Pidcock.
“Sadly they wished to make it entertaining. Possibly they even put some issues out of context to create extra viewers however the relationship between Tom and me is nice,” 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 way more necessary.
“I hope this 12 months Netflix isn’t about us anymore. It isn’t about us preventing or something.”
Pidcock is of course aggressive and can attempt to use expertise to win phases in the course of the subsequent three weeks.
“I need to race aggressively, attempt to win some phases. Initially. I do not need to lose time in GC for the sake of it, but when I would like to try this to realize these objectives and profitable phases, then that I’ll later within the race,” he defined, suggesting that his GC hopes had been put again to 2025.
“Possibly you possibly can put it like that. With the Olympics, it’s a tough one. Clearly, Egan and Carlos, and Geraint even when he says he does not know the place he’s, all three are far more skilled riders for GC than me. We won’t actually go together with 4 guys.
“There are completely different ways in which we will help one another. We need to come out of this race with success, and nevertheless that comes goes to profit us all. But when within the final week and we’re preventing for a podium with considered one of these guys, then we will go all in for that for positive.”
Rodriguez was quietly spoken however appeared assured of his Tour de France kind and talent.
“We’ll discover out in the course of the race…” he joked when requested about what he can obtain this 12 months. “However the feeling in coaching racing is healthier than final 12 months and the 12 months earlier than. That is why I really feel that I made the state step ahead. However we’ll discover out in the course of the race. I’ll give my finest and attempt to do the whole lot I can to attempt to beat them.”
Thomas on Ineos Grenadiers’ race technique
Ineos Grenadiers’ rivals naturally embody Tadej Pogačar, his highly effective UAE Staff Emirates squad, and Jonas Vingegaard with Visma-Lease a Bike. Thomas needs to measure Ineos’ 2024 Tour success towards the latest winners of the race.
“I am tremendous excited concerning the Tour. We’ve received a robust group,” 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 believe all of it aligns properly. Clearly, it is nonetheless a problem. It’s 4 good guys plus received the remainder of the boys as nicely, like Kwiato and De Plus. I believe a number of guys are able to profitable phases.
“So long as we’re all pulling in the identical path, which I am assured we can be profitable. After all, there will be bumps within the highway, however I believe 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 won’t experience like Staff Sky as soon as did and line out the peloton within the mountains. Now they’re extra of the underdog towards Pogačar, Vingegaard and others.
“Let’s be sincere. There’s different groups which have extra of a weight to tackle the race than us and are larger favourites,” Thomas mentioned. “I believe we will race otherwise as nicely. It isn’t 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 believe Pog is clearly an even bigger favorite than us, together with Visma. I do not assume the stress is on us.
“I believe it might be my final Tour for positive, however I am going to simply be targeted on the racing. I believe I’ll look again as soon as it is all finished. I am simply tremendous excited to be right here,” he added.
“I missed it final 12 months doing a unique programme. It’s thrilling for me to be right here. It’s what I dreamed of as a child. I’m wanting ahead to it at the back of my thoughts. It might be my final. However as I say, I am not fascinated about that.”
Look ahead to Thomas moving into breaks on key mountain phases to chase a stage victory but in addition play a group position.
“Probably we might be up the highway, perhaps not essentially have the legs for stage, however then you could have the highway for serving to in different methods. I believe the 2 can work nicely collectively.”
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