Aimlessness or opportunity? Analysing Team Ineos' Giro d'Italia line-up

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Eddie Dunbar on the attack at the Tour de Yorkshire.(Image credit: Swpix)

Team Ineos' line-up for the 2019 Giro d'Italia was always going to be a young one. Egan Bernal's late exclusion due to a collarbone injury doesn't change that, but it does leave the rest of the largely inexperienced group of riders without a clear leader and genuine contender to rally around.

Where that leaves them is somewhere between aimlessness and opportunity. Riding for Bernal would have been a valuable experience for the young team, of which Sosa and Dunbar are making their three-week debuts and Sivakov and Geoghegan Hart their second Grand Tour appearances. The change of plan leaves Ineos without a realistic shot at the title, which is a rarity for the British team, and, although they've never exerted the same control at the Giro as at the Tour, they'll have to take more of a backseat over the next three weeks.

Had that mattered so much to them, they could have drafted in 2018 Giro champion Chris Froome or 2018 Tour champion Geraint Thomas. Neither are anywhere near top form, but it could have provided a figurehead and also avoided a situation whereby Ineos have three leaders for the Tour. Similarly, they could have drafted in Wout Poels, who would appear to be their next best option for GC leadership after Sergio Henao's departure, but who is set to play a key support role at the Tour.

The fact they didn't disrupt that Tour core suggests that, even in their first Grand Tour as Ineos, they are more than happy to take the pressure of the pursuit of results and hand their young guns some trust and freedom. The Tour is understood to be the number one priority of new team owner Jim Ratcliffe, and before the accident it was rumoured that Bernal would be part of the plans for July, with some whispers that he might even skip the Giro.

Sivakov and Geoghegan Hart have been identified by the team as the nominal leaders. Both shone at the recent Tour of the Alps, where they finished one-two on GC, with the Russian winning one stage and the Briton two. Both will be handed the freedom to ride for GC, testing the water and seeing how long they can remain in contention against the likes of Tom Dumoulin, Vincenzo Nibali, and Primoz Roglic.

Bernal has long been considered one of brightest talent the sport has seen, but Sivakov, with his record in 2017, is not all that far behind, and now looks to be on that trajectory to Grand Tour contender. This Giro probably comes a little early for him, given he has only ridden one Grand Tour and failed to finish it, but there's no ruling out a push for the top 10. Confidence will be high after the Alps, which appeared to be a learning curve in tactics and riding for victory, and that process, at the very least, should only be enhanced in Italy.

Geoghegan Hart may not be as precocious as Sivakov but he has long been considered a big talent and stood out in the U23 ranks with Axel Merckx's team. He has enjoyed a steady start to life at Ineos, maturing consistently and taking on bigger and bigger challenges in terms of his race programme. He has shone as a domestique so far, notably for Bernal in Colombia and California and even more so for Thomas at last year's Dauphine. The Alps was a rare taste of leadership – albeit co-leadership that morphed into riding for Sivakov – and the Briton has the personality and already the stature among his teammates to be a leader figure.

Geoghegan Hart, an all-rounder, should hold his own in the time trials but the question is how far he can go in the mountains. Sivakov was the more explosive when the road went uphill at the Tour of the Alps and appears the more natural climber. Geoghegan Hart has driven the Sky train up Alpine cols but has said he wants to one day become the protected rider in that line. The third week of the Giro could provide some indication of his future prospects.

Hot on the heels of Bernal, Sosa is another young Colombian to have been brought through by Gianni Savio at the Androni-Giocattoli team and sent on to bigger and better things. After winning the Vuelta a Burgos last year he agreed to sign for Trek-Segafredo – and even announced it – before he changed agents and Sky swooped before pen had been put to paper.
Sosa started strongly with second overall at the Tour Colombia in February, where he had support from Bernal. He then repaid the favour handsomely at Paris-Nice and the Volta a Catalunya and was set to do the same at the Giro.

Another one who is considered a future potential Grand Tour contender. The Irishman was snapped up by Sky when Aqua Blue Sport folded in August last year and now gets his first Grand Tour start – albeit unexpectedly. While the others in this line-up had been preparing for the Giro, Dunbar is essentially Bernal's replacement, securing his spot after an impressive performance at the recent Tour de Yorkshire.

Dunbar will gain valuable experience of a three-week race but don't expect him just to ride round. He's a naturally attacking rider who likes to animate proceedings. That's not necessarily what you'd most readily associate with Team Ineos, and he was told by his bosses that he should ride more ‘steadily' after a spritely display at last year's Giro della Toscana. That said, this is a squad that sort of signals a new dawn for the British team.

Patrick is a freelance sports writer and editor. He’s an NCTJ-accredited journalist with a bachelor’s degree in modern languages (French and Spanish). Patrick worked full-time at Cyclingnews for eight years between 2015 and 2023, latterly as Deputy Editor.