Geraint Thomas has said that Dave Brailsford has “got his hunger back” in his attempt to turn Ineos Grenadiers back into a Grand Tour-winning team, as Thomas himself prepares to assume a newly-created management role at the team.
Brailsford returned to the team for this summer’s Tour de France after several years away working at the OGC Nice and Manchester United football teams, as per his head of sport role at Ineos Sport.
Though Ineos won two stages of the Tour through Thymen Arensman, Brailsford refused to speak publicly about his return, especially after reports emerged linking the team’s head carer David Rozman with the banned doping doctor Mark Schmidt.
Nevertheless Thomas – who retired in early September at the Tour of Britain – has reported that Brailsford has made an immediate impact in his return, and that he’s determined to see the British team back competing for the sport’s top honours.
Speaking exclusively to Cycling Weekly as part of a magazine article in the September 25 edition that prefaces the release of his autobiography, According to G, Thomas said: “I always give honest feedback [to the team] about what I think, and especially nowadays with Dave coming back in.
“His last few years [with the team] he was fatigued from it all and he went away and did his football thing. But he’s got his hunger back from cycling and seeing the team as it is he wants it back winning the biggest races.
“He’s gone through a lot, a lot’s changed for him, but that hunger, fight and passion is still there. He’s pushing everyone on again to keep moving forward.”
Brailsford was present at both the Tour de France and Vuelta a España.
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Thomas confirmed that he is expecting to move into a management role at Ineos, but revealed that nothing is yet finalised; Ineos are notoriously slow at signing contracts. “Talks are going well, but it’s just about making sure everyone is happy with everything that it involves,” Thomas said.
“It has dragged on a bit now. I was preparing for the Tour, then it was the Tour, then I had a break before the Tour of Britain. It could have been a quicker progress but hopefully in the next few weeks it will be sorted.”
The prospect of overseeing racing operations and simplifying matters is what excites the 39-year-old about his expected new job. “I’ve got a lot of knowledge and experience about bike racing and how to work towards goals,” Thomas said.
“I’m a big part of a big team, and I want to help them. If it does all happen, learning from Dave will be a massive part of it all, taking it all in, observing it all, learning as much as I can, continuing to grow, having more responsibility in the team.
“You see it in cycling and in other companies that it can be really corporate and ABC when real life isn’t like that. You’ve to get in it, live in it, deal with people, rather than doing what the textbook says to do.
“The newness of it, pushing myself out of my comfort zone, is what appeals to me. I just want to grow, to continue to be better. Going into something new is a bit daunting, but it’s also what I want to do. I might not like it, but it’s an exciting time.”
It has been suggested that Thomas will be trained up to be Brailsford’s eventual successor, but the former Tour de France winner refused to confirm or deny that. Either way, Brailsford and his long-time coach Rod Ellingworth will be the two men he seeks to emulate. “I wouldn’t try to copy Dave or do what Rod did, but take the good bits from everything I’ve seen,” he said.
“It’s the way of doing things differently, of pushing and challenging each other. It’s why we were so successful in the 2010s, because me, Richie Porte and Chris Froome were training with each other every day.
“I wanted to take Froomey’s crown, and he wanted to keep me down. If that’s done in the right way, it can be really good, as we saw. Bringing that similar mindset and mentality back to the team, with both the staff and the riders, is how I see part of my role.”
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