Geraint Thomas says the Ineos Tour strategy now demands realism after Oscar Onley’s injury-enforced absence from the Tour de France.

Netcompany-Ineos had planned the race around Onley, who joined from Picnic-PostNL last winter. The Scot finished fourth overall a year ago and arrived as a key part of the team’s renewed Tour project.

That plan changed after Onley crashed at the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. The incident ruled him out of the Tour and forced a major rethink before the team selection.

Thomas, now director of racing after retiring last year, said the team must race aggressively without pretending it has an outright yellow jersey favourite.

Ineos Tour strategy turns toward stages and opportunity

Thomas said Netcompany-Ineos want ambition and realism in equal measure. He said the riders will receive freedom to race rather than wait for events to unfold.

He described the plan as a mix of being “realistic” while still trying to shape the race each day. Thomas also said the selection reflected that approach.

The change marks another step away from the team’s dominant Tour de France era. Between 2012 and 2019, the squad won seven Tours in eight editions.

During those years, the team often controlled the race after building an early advantage. Its current position looks very different in the Tadej Pogačar and Jonas Vingegaard era.

Thomas acknowledged the dominance of those leading contenders. Still, he said Netcompany-Ineos remain eager to test what they can do across the race.

Bernal, Arensman and Ganna named in eight-rider squad

The Tour roster includes Thymen Arensman and former Tour winner Egan Bernal. Both riders also raced the Giro d’Italia in May.

Their Giro efforts leave questions over how strongly they can perform in July. Even so, both give the team climbing depth and tactical options.

Kévin Vauquelin also makes the line-up, alongside Filippo Ganna, Michal Kwiatkowski, Josh Tarling, Dorion Godon and Tobias Foss.

The composition points toward stage ambitions rather than one protected general classification leader. Thomas said a rider may still pursue GC if the race allows it.

He stressed that no single outcome defines success. Instead, he wants the group to race actively and build a foundation for future Tour challenges.

Rodríguez left out after previous Tour leadership role

Carlos Rodríguez’s absence remains one of the most notable selection calls. The Spaniard finished fifth in 2023 and seventh in 2024.

Netcompany-Ineos retained Rodríguez in 2023 after outbidding Movistar. At that stage, he looked central to the team’s future Tour plans.

Thomas said leaving Rodríguez out was a difficult decision. He explained that selection came down to team balance across different terrain, not one rider against another.

Thomas also said Rodríguez remains “a massive asset” to the team. He added that the rider still has an important role to play.

The decision underlines how Onley’s absence reshaped the final eight. Thomas said Onley had been the team’s GC rider from the start of the season.

He said Onley had been riding well, but never received the chance to show it fully. Once the crash happened, the team had to move forward quickly.

Netcompany investment raises future expectations

The revised Ineos Tour strategy also comes amid a broader reset for the organisation. Netcompany became naming sponsor in May.

The agreement adds €20 million to the team budget each season for the next five years. That investment increases attention on the team’s Tour performance.

Thomas said success cannot only mean one result this July. He wants to see how the riders combine, develop and race together.

He said the team still has ambitions to win the Tour in the near future. Many riders in this squad could form part of that push.

For this edition, stage wins appear the clearest target. Thomas said the team does not want to be “passengers” in the race.

He added that a team without an obvious GC favourite must race differently. That means seeking openings rather than defending a single leader’s position.

The contrast with Thomas’s own 2018 Tour victory is striking. That year, he started alongside Chris Froome as co-leader, with Bernal serving as a luxury domestique.

Now Thomas must guide a team searching for a new route back to the top. He said claiming yellow this year would not be realistic as a stated objective.

Even so, he insisted the long-term door remains open. For Netcompany-Ineos, the immediate task is to race visibly, chase stages and rebuild Tour authority.

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