Transfer Mechanics: Everything we know about Ineos Grenadiers for 2026 🇬🇧
All the ins and outs, including news on Kooij, Van Wilder, Kwiatkowski, Gloag, sponsors and bike suppliers
Hi Subscribers,
I’m travelling today, but here’s an overview of the state of play at Ineos Grenadiers as they build towards 2026. In the piece, I look at transfers, contract renewals, who is likely to leave, who could come in, sponsors, and bike suppliers.
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It’s Monday, but don’t stress. It’s sunny!
Daniel 🫶
It’s only April, but from a transfer point of view, this is one of the busiest parts of the season, with deals signed during or just after the Classics.
Over the next few weeks, we will analyse the state of play at several of the major WorldTour teams, and we’re kicking off with Ineos Grenadiers - one of the most interesting squads when it comes to building for the future.
Unlike UAE Team Emirates-XRG, Lidl-Trek, and Visma-Lease a Bike, the British team still lacks a structured development or junior squad. There are also reported ties with Total coming on board as a new lead or co-lead sponsor for next season, Pinarello are in negotiations for a new deal, and almost a third of the squad is out of contract. It’s going to be a busy few months!
The likelihood of Ineos setting up a fully-fledged development team for 2026 is still unclear, but sources have informed us that while the British team has shown interest in several junior and U23 riders on the market, they’ve yet to sign any leading riders. If the team can scramble a project together in time for 2026, they will likely miss out on the top names, with the best young riders and their agents unwilling to take a punt on a new project when so many rival teams have structured and proven setups.
When we spoke to Simon Watts, the Performance Pathway Manager, in late March, he gave this update when asked whether the team would have their own U23 project in 2026.
“They’re conversations that we’re having at the moment, really, and I don’t know, is the honest answer. I think it’ll look a little bit different, but I wouldn’t rule it out. I also wouldn’t say ‘absolutely yes’. I’ll sit on the fence on that one,” he said.
While Watts is taking that stance, the team is moving ahead with transfers on the elite men’s squad.