Giro d'Italia: Geraint Thomas leads Ineos Grenadiers alongside Ganna, Foss, Arensman

‘Our plan is to be aggressive and look for every opportunity to add pressure’ says Thomas amid Tadej Pogačar’s favourite status

10:26, Thursday 25th April 2024

Patrick Fletcher

Deputy Editor

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Geraint Thomas in the leader's jersey at last year's Giro d'Italia

Ineos Grenadiers have confirmed their line-up for the upcoming Giro d’Italia, with Geraint Thomas leading a strong squad that features the Hour Record holder Filippo Ganna, as well as possible backup general classification cards in Tobias Foss and Thymen Arensman.

Thomas, the former Tour de France champion, finished runner-up at last year’s Giro, divested of the pink jersey on the penultimate day, and is back for another bite at the cherry, even if the outstanding favourite, Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) looks hard to beat.

Thomas has been named as the outright leader by Ineos Grenadiers in their roster announcement on Thursday, with Arensman, who was sixth in last year’s Giro, designated for “a crucial support role” as he links up with Thomas once again.

There was no explicit indication of Foss’ role, the Norwegian former time trial world champion having placed 9th at the 2021 Giro and moved from Visma-Lease a Bike in the off-season in a bid for more leadership opportunities to grow as a Grand Tour contender.

Thomas, though, is the clear leader, as team director Steven Cummings pointed out.

“In Geraint, we have one of the most experienced riders in the peloton to lead the charge to Rome. He is a proven winner, a brilliant bike rider and a great leader,” Cummings said.

"In the general classification, we have three riders who have all finished in the top 10 at this race so we go into it feeling confident in the depth and experience within the group.”

Alongside that GC trio, the star name on the team sheet is that of Ganna, who won four stages on his Giro debut in 2020 and two more the following year but had an early exit last year due to COVID-19. The Italian champion will be eyeing the two medium-length time trials in the first and second weeks, and will surely be considered the favourite for both, before taking a broader support role as the GC battle intensifies in the final week.

There is also a Grand Tour debut for Magnus Sheffield, the 22-year-old US all-rounder who will also be a threat in the two time trials, as well as testing his own potential future credentials as a stage racer.

Jhonatan Narváez, a strong punchy Classics rider, gives the team versatility and a possible breakaway option, while the team is rounded out by the Swift cousins, Connor being on domestique duty while the experienced Ben will act as the team’s road captain.

“We’ve selected a strong, versatile line-up for this year’s Giro d’Italia which will enable us to race the way we love,” said Cummings. “It will be three long weeks of full gas, hard racing and we know where we need to put the pressure on, and where we will be able to fight for opportunities.”

Ineos Grenadiers for the 2024 Giro d'Italia

Geraint Thomas: Our plan is to be aggressive

There’s a sense of unfinished business at the Giro for Thomas, who came so close to victory last year, only to lose out in the penultimate-day mountain time trial. However, the 2018 Tour de France champion is under no illusions about the scale of his task, name-checking the elephant in the room, Tadej Pogačar.

“Obviously [he] is the pre-race favourite and has a strong team around him, and that changes the dynamic of the race a bit,” Thomas said in Ineos Grenadiers’ squad announcement. “But that also means all eyes will be on him over three long weeks of hard racing. Our plan is to be aggressive, take the race on and look for every opportunity to add pressure and take time.”

Thomas had struggled for leadership during a rocky patch with the team during the pandemic years, but has underlined his credentials with a third career podium at the Tour de France in 2022, followed by the Giro podium of last year.

Like Pogačar, he’ll be doubling up on the Giro and Tour this year, and while his Slovenian counterpart may have already blazed a trail with emphatic wins at Liège-Bastogne-Liège, Strade Bianche, and Volta a Catalunya, Thomas is perfectly happy with his much quieter start to the season.

“My preparation has gone well and I’m feeling in a great place ahead of the start,” he said.

“With the plan to race the Giro and then go straight into the Tour, there has been a different approach and slower build-up this season. But I am feeling good and not thinking beyond the coming weeks in Italy. My only focus now is the Giro and arriving there in my best shape possible.”

Thomas is backed by a similar squad to 12 months ago, with Arensman, Ganna, and Ben Swift all returning. There may be slightly less climbing strength this time around, with Tao Geoghegan Hart, Pavel Sivakov and Laurens De Plus all present last year, but the 2024 Giro features significantly less climbing than the brutal recent editions, with most mountains backloaded in the final week.

“We have a strong line-up and there is a good bond with this group. The core is the same as last year’s Giro team, with some great additions for this year,” Thomas said. “We have spent a lot of time together at training camp; we know what we need to do and are all feeling super motivated to get the job done and deliver.”

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