25 unforgettable INEOS moments

23 Aug 2023

25 unforgettable INEOS moments

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As we celebrate 25 years of INEOS. we take a look back at 25 unforgettable INEOS Grenadiers moments.

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First race as Team INEOS, first win. Consistency was the name of the game for Chris Lawless’ victory in The Tour de Yorkshire. Although the Lancastrian did not win a stage, he was never outside of the top 10 in four gruelling stages that took in some of Yorkshire’s toughest climbs. The end result was overall victory by two seconds in the final edition of the race.

Our first Tour de France under as Team INEOS was a massive success as Egan Bernal became the first Colombian to win the race and Geraint Thomas followed up his victory from 2018 with second overall.

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The team supported Eliud Kipchoge as he broke the final barrier in modern athletics, the sub two-hour marathon. Providing logistical and performance support throughout the preparation and execution of this incredible feat, this was a success that brought together the INEOS Sporting family. 

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When the coronavirus pandemic led to a global shortage of hand sanitiser, INEOS set about producing and distributing large volumes to hospitals in Europe free of charge. We provided logistical support to ensure the sanitiser was delivered to the hospitals using our fleet of vehicles.

Zwift // Team INEOS eRace and eRide

Zwift // Team INEOS eRace and eRide

Whilst the world was in the grip of the coronavirus pandemic, we collaborated with Zwift to put on the eRace - a fast and furious virtual race live-streamed on our social channels, which saw the riders split into teams for an exciting online event. This, coupled with the eRide - a relaxed social ride, was a great alternative way to stay engaged with the team when racing had been suspended. 

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Michal Kwiatkowski and Richard Carapaz secured a resounding 1-2 finish for the team on stage 18 at the 2020 Tour de France. The duo had made it into the day’s breakaway, and went clear on the Col des Gileres, eventually finishing nearly two minutes up on their nearest rivals to create this iconic photograph. 

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Disaster struck the team just three stages into the 2020 Giro d'Italia, with leader Geraint Thomas crashing and being forced to withdraw. Tao Geoghegan Hart stepped up, winning two stages en route to claiming the coveted pink jersey.

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With Geraint Thomas out of the Giro, the ever-resilient Grenadiers immediately changed their tactics, collecting seven stage wins along the way to winning the race for the second time. It was not only the overall win that set this race apart, but the performances throughout the three weeks from the entire team.

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Richard Carapaz produced a heroic performance in the 2020 Vuelta a Espana to come a close second in the tightly fought contest. Aiming to become the first Ecuadorian to win the Spanish Grand Tour, Carapaz launched a ferocious attack on the last mountain stage, ultimately falling just short of overall victory.

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The team locked out the podium in a historic 2021 edition of the Volta a Catalunya. Adam Yates came home victorious in the week-long race, closely followed by Richie Porte and Geraint Thomas in second and third respectively.

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Hot on the heels of the team’s 2020 success, Egan Bernal became the team’s third Giro d’Italia victor in four years. Buoyed on by a strong team performance, Egan claimed his second Grand Tour by one minute 29 seconds.

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Richard Carapaz stormed to gold with a tremendous solo attack in the men’s road race to make Olympic Games history for Ecuador. His expertly-timed move in the closing stages of the race saw him go clear, holding off the advances of an elite chase group to claim Ecuador’s first-ever Olympic medal in cycling.

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Two of Filippo Ganna's finest moments on the bike came at the 2020 and 2021 World Championships. First, a commanding performance in Imola provided the Italian with his first rainbow bands on the road. Then, a strong showing on a flat course into Bruges made it two from two for the Olympic champion.

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Ben Swift claimed back-to-back British national titles, representing the British Champion's colours for three consecutive years with the team. A strong sprint from a small group in 2019 saw Swift don the bands. With the pandemic causing the cancellation of the 2020 edition, Swift lined up in 2021 to defend the jersey. He did so emphatically, claiming a solo victory up the Michaelgate in Lincoln.

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A fast but technical course in Fayetteville would decide the newest cyclocross World Champion. Tom Pidcock dominated the race from the start against fierce opposition. He went clear less than halfway through the race, and donned the now famous ‘superman’ position as he crossed the line victorious.

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Michal Kwiatkowski edged a thrilling edition of the Amstel Gold Race, winning a two-up sprint by the finest of margins. The Pole attacked with 20 kilometres remaining and was solo until the closing stages of the race. A photo finish revealed the Grenadier had just inched out his rival, to claim his second win in the event.

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Dylan van Baarle took the team’s first ever victory in the most prestigious one-day race of the year – Paris-Roubaix. Attacking over the fearsome Carrefour de l'Arbre cobblestones, Dylan rapidly built a gap of nearly two minutes over his rivals, arriving into the hallowed velodrome with time for a lap of honour.

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Three consecutive editions of the Tour de Suisse saw the team take three victories with three different riders. Egan Bernal took the first of these wins with a strong performance up the infamous St. Gotthard pass. Richard Carapaz would take the second overall success, winning by 17 seconds. Rounding out the trio of victories, Geraint Thomas showed his class with a consistent ride across the week.

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After a descending masterclass that stunned and terrified onlookers in equal measure, Tom Pidcock put in a masterful performance up the iconic Alpe d’Huez. He dropped his breakaway companions 11 kilometres from the finish, and never looked back.

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Geraint Thomas completed his Tour de France podium collection in 2022, finishing third overall in Paris. Not only was this a strong result for the Welshman, but the Grenadiers also performed admirably as a squad – claiming the best team classification award. 

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Two UCI Hour Record attempts in two months marked an extraordinary run in the velodrome for the team. Dan Bigham set a new record of 55.548 kilometres in August, before Filippo Ganna topped it with a stunning distance of 56.791 kilometres in October.

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In November 2022, Pauline Ferrand-Prevot became the latest addition to a growing number of multi-disciplinary athletes racing for the INEOS Grenadiers,  A 10-time elite world champion, 'PFP' became the first female rider to join the team

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Perhaps one of the Grenadier's finest wins, Tom took the team’s second victory in the ever popular Italian one-day race. Mastering the tricky ‘sterrato’ that litter the route, Pidcock attacked with over 50 kilometres to go and never looked back. 

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Tom Pidcock backed up his Olympic gold medal in the mountain biking with a stunning victory in a home World Championships. Going solo with two laps to go, Pidcock crossed the line draped with the Yorkshire flag, to a thunderous crowd at Glentress Forest.

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Pauline Ferrand-Prevot claimed a duo of rainbow jerseys within days of each other after two outstanding displays at Glentress Forest. First, riding the Short Track as defending champion, the Grenadier attacked at the perfect time on the 10th and final lap, to claim an 11th rainbow jersey. Then, days later, Ferrand-Prevot repeated her performance in the Cross Country Mountain Biking to claim her 12th world title.