Geraint Thomas part of three-pronged Ineos leadership at Tour de France, Tom Pidcock makes debut

Updated 28/06/2022 at 09:16 GMT

After announcing the line-up, Ineos Grenadiers team principal Dave Brailsford said: “The competition this year is tougher than ever and that’s a great thing for the sport, the Tour and the fans. This group of Grenadiers is the epitome of all that Ineos stands for. They have the grit, rigour and humour that we know is critical to success at the Tour and we can’t wait to get racing.”

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The Ineos Grenadiers have confirmed their eight-man line-up for the 2022 Tour de France, and will be fronted by the star-studded GC trio of Geraint Thomas, Dani Martinez and Adam Yates.

Thomas was the 2018 Tour winner and tasted success in this year’s Tour de Suisse. Meanwhile, Martinez emerged victorious in the Tour of the Basque Country and Yates has won multiple Tour stages.

The team is completed by Jonathan Castroviejo, Filippo Ganna, Tom Pidcock, Luke Rowe and Dylan van Baarle, who all have impressive pedigrees of their own.

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Ganna and Pidcock are both set for their Tour de France debuts – the former is a two-time reigning world time trial champion.

He will be aiming to replicate his stunning success Giro d’Italia, as the Italian claimed six stage wins across two editions after pulling on the pink jersey in 2020 and 2021.

Pidcock has risen to prominence after winning titles and world championships in cyclo-cross and mountain biking. This is his second year as a professional and will play a crucial role as the team tackles the flat and medium mountain stages.

Castroviejo, Rowe and Van Baarle add further experience to the team having made a combined 20 Tour de France starts between them.

Castroviejo has developed a reputation as one of the best mountain support riders in the peloton after previously being known as a time trial specialist. This is Rowe’s eighth consecutive Tour de France appearance, as he lines up for a 10th Grand Tour.

Van Baarle heads to Copenhagen with a superb win at Paris-Roubaix and is equally adept competing on the road and as an elite mountain support rider on the Tour.

“The competition this year is tougher than ever and that’s a great thing for the sport, the Tour and the fans," said Ineos team principal Dave Brailsford.

"But we all know that anything can happen in cycling, especially over three weeks of hard racing across different terrains and weather conditions. This group of Grenadiers is the epitome of all that Ineos stands for.

"They have the grit, rigour and humour that we know is critical to success at the Tour and we can’t wait to get racing.”

Ineos deputy team principal Rod Ellingworth added: “We’ve got a really dynamic and versatile group of riders that are ready to go full gas and really take this race on.

“In Adam, Dani and Geraint we have three fantastic GC heavyweights who can mount a real challenge. They have proved their form across the season and are lining up in Copenhagen in great shape.

“It’s also a proud moment for the team to see Filippo and Tom make their Tour de France debuts. They’re phenomenal riders who have big careers ahead of them and both are ready to leave their mark on the Tour. And no team could ask for three better super domestiques than Dylan, Jonathan and Luke. Collectively they have racing instincts and experience that are second to none.”

This year’s Tour de France begins in Copenhagen on July 1 and concludes on the Avenue des Champs-Elysees in Paris 23 days later.

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Stream the Tour de France live and on-demand on discovery+. You can also watch all the action live on eurosport.co.uk.

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