The white or ‘light grey’ shorts of Ineos Grenadiers drew a mixed reaction when launched last month, but they have already delivered a rider to a win. Confidence is needed to wear them, something the team seem to have back at the moment.
It took two bunch sprints for Sam Welsford to open his account for his new team, and means that the British team now have two wins in four WorldTour opportunities in 2026. If they keep this momentum up, it would mean a doubling of their record from last year, a quadruple of their nadir in 2024.
“At 2km to go, I was on Kwia [Michał Kwiatkowski] and Swifty [Ben Swift], and we were like 80th wheel. I was thinking, ‘There’s no chance’,” Welsford said post-stage, Cyclingnews reported.
“So for me to come here and win on a day that did probably didn’t really suit me on paper – still a sprint, but the hardest sprint day – I’m really happy with that.”
Ineos Grenadiers, with two wins in four days, first with Sam Watson and with Welsford now – the two Sams – look in a much more settled position than they have over the past few seasons. They might not be a super-team of UAE Team Emirates-XRG’s level anymore, but they are winning – it’s a good start.
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