Make Ineos Great Again: 7 questions facing Dave Brailsford 🇬🇧
The boss is back but can he bring success with him?
Dave Brailsford is truly back at Ineos Grenadiers, with CEO John Allert largely dominating Wednesday’s pre-Tour press conference by praising his former and now reacquainted new boss.
Whether the return of the man who led the team to seven Tour wins in eight seasons is positive news for everyone at the organisation, including Allert, remains uncertain, but Brailsford definitely faces significant decisions as he grapples with the enormous challenge of making Ineos Grenadiers a consistently successful Tour de France team.
Here are six major questions Brailsford faces, from rider recruitment, team goals, Remco Evenepoel’s signature and Geraint Thomas’ role.
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Does he have the right backroom staff?
This question can’t be solved overnight, but Brailsford probably already has a good idea as to whether he has the right team around him. His main strength during Sky and GB’s cycling zenith was surrounding himself with people who knew what they were doing, whether that was Fran Millar, Shane Sutton, Rod Ellingworth, Nicolas Portal, Servais Knaven, Sean Yates and others.
The composition of the backroom staff is significantly different now compared to the glory days of marginal gains, and Brailsford will need to weed out any weak links, identify areas that need attention, and act accordingly. That might mean a slight realignment of Allert’s role - assuming Brailsford is taking on all his old duties - while the lack of genuine racing experience at the top of the leadership hierarchy will also need to be addressed. He may decide that someone high up in the performance team, unaware that the Tour of Flanders is a one-day race, is a concern, and that a senior member of staff watching Liverpool matches in the team car during Paris-Roubaix isn’t exactly a badge of commitment.
What role will Geraint Thomas assume?
Central to the staffing situation is the new role created for Geraint Thomas. Assuming he doesn’t do ‘I’m A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here’ - that genuinely is an option - there’s a position for the former Tour de France winner within the hierarchy.
I’ve written about this previously, but during Ineos' winter get-together at Old Trafford, both Allert and Scott Drawer stood up and addressed the team. Word on the mean streets of Manchester was that their speeches failed to inspire, but when Thomas stood up, he gave a chest-beating war cry - maybe there’s a slight exaggeration there - but the riders responded positively. With Steve Cummings shipped out last year, Rod Ellingworth having left before that, and the team never finding a genuine replacement for the late Nicolas Portal, a slot still remains unfilled. Step forward, Thomas, who commands respect from the riders, the ear of Jim Ratcliffe, and the stature to stand up to Brailsford and tell him when something needs addressing - an area where Portal excelled.