Geraint Thomas and rebranded Netcompany Ineos confront hard truths after Tour de France misery
Oscar Onley’s pre-race injury presaged three bleak weeks for Netcompany Ineos and their new director of racing accepts he has significant work ahead. Crashes, punctures and further injuries left the rebranded team far short of expectations in the 2026 Tour de France.
The campaign was chaotic from the outset, with setbacks accumulating across stages and undermining any hopes of a coherent challenge. From the first stage on, when Dave Brailsford’s team came close to winning the team time trial in Montjuic, the 2026 Tour was, in the words of their director of racing, Geraint Thomas, “tough going”. Oscar Onley’s absence through injury before the race began was an early omen of the troubles to follow. Geraint Thomas has stepped into the leadership role previously occupied by Brailsford and is now charged with addressing the problems exposed by the month-long race.
Incidents on the road – a mixture of crashes and punctures alongside other injuries – combined to produce what has been described as one of the worst Tours for the beleaguered Netcompany Ineos team. Those mechanical and medical issues prevented the squad from building momentum in the way they had planned, and the hoped-for results failed to materialise. Riders and staff were left to pick up the pieces as the race unfolded, with little opportunity to regroup between successive mishaps.
The narrow near-miss in the team time trial in Montjuic remained one of the few moments that hinted at the squad’s potential, but it proved not to be enough to alter the overall trajectory of their Tour. Instead the event became an early high point in a competition that rarely yielded positive headlines for the team thereafter. That contrast has intensified scrutiny on the reshaped leadership and on how the organisation will respond to a string of avoidable and unavoidable setbacks.
Thomas, who has taken Brailsford’s place as the team’s frontman, reflected on the personal toll the season has taken. “I’m happy to not be racing any more, because I suffered way too much,” said Thomas, who has taken Brailsford’s place as the team’s frontman. “But it’s good to still be involved in the nitty-gritty of it.” His words underline both relief at stepping away from competition and a determination to remain closely engaged with the team’s recovery.
The immediate task now falls to Thomas and his staff to assess causes and propose changes after a 2026 Tour de France campaign that delivered far fewer positives than anticipated. How they diagnose the sequence of problems and translate that into practical remedies will shape the next phase for Netcompany Ineos.