'Purely from results, I'd say it definitely wasn't good' – Geraint Thomas admits challenging season for Netcompany Ineos

In a partial review of Netcompany Ineos' season, team Director of Racing Geraint Thomas conceded that 2026 "definitely wasn't good" from a results standpoint, although he did point out several positive aspects of the year.

Speaking with Decathlon CMA CGM Directeur Sportif Luke Rowe on the Watts Occurring podcast, Thomas accepted that the team was a long way from where it once was when he, Chris Froome, and Bradley Wiggins were dominating Grand Tours. However, he pointed out several of the team's successes as they look to progress to their former dominant position.

"People have kind of said, 'oh, you know, you can say was our season good or bad?' And purely from results, I'd say it definitely wasn't good," Thomas said.

"I feel like Dorian [Godon], Oscar [Onley], and Kévin [Vauquelin] are all new to the team and that takes a bit of gelling. I think the fact that they executed is a big plus. I think they all learned then the next phase of that plan. And I think they'll all take that forward, and it's part of that growing."

The three new additions were among Netcompany Ineos' highest performers in 2026. Godon was the team's top rider, winning seven times, including five stages across Paris-Nice, Volta a Catalunya, and Tour de Romandie.

Vauquelin, meanwhile, won the Giro d'Abruzzo and took fourth at Paris-Nice, and Onley took a stage win and second overall at the Vuelta a Burgos before taking sixth overall and best young rider at the Vuelta a España.

Thomas said the team was making progress, having "gone up the ladder a couple of steps" with their standout results.

"I think it's all learning and stuff as well, and even though results weren't particularly sensational, we had a lot of wins, but they were like smaller wins. It wasn't like any big wins, really," he said.

"It's all about that progression, and it's where you're starting from as well. This might be a headline now, but let's just say we're at 20% of what we used to be, to pick a number – you can't just go from 20 to 80 straight away.

"It's like climbing a ladder, isn't it? It's the same thing with a team, and I think we've gone up the ladder a couple of steps, for sure. We slipped a few times as well, but that's all part of it."

Other standout performances of Ineos' season included Filippo Ganna's Dwars door Vlaanderen triumph and Thymen Arensman's ride to fourth place at the Giro d'Italia, his best-ever Grand Tour result.

"Great to see Pippo win Dwar Doors, the rest pretty flat, really. But it's kind of like that's what's always kind of been with our team as well, isn't it?" Thomas said, summing up the Classics season.

"[The Giro] was a bit more of a traditional sort of Grand Tour, wasn't it? Jonas was the outstanding favourite, but the way Visma rode was a bit more old school – controlling the harder days, and there was the race for the podium behind. Out of the three, it was a bit more kind of what you're used to.

"Thymen was 30, 40 seconds off the podium. I think it was a massive step forward if you just take him in isolation, from previous years. Just psychologically, a lot more consistent.

"He's done a lot of work with Steve Peters this year, and I think it definitely paid off, and the combination with his coach worked really well. It's the best Grand Tour result he's ever had. He was super consistent, there were no big standout mistakes, and I think that's a big positive for him."

The team was set for something of an overhaul for the 2027 season, with Ganna among the notable names on the outgoing list as several promising younger riders come on board.

Leading the list is the highly-rated junior world champion Benjamín Noval, who joins alongside fellow Spaniard Markel Beloki and former Tour de l'Avenir champion Joseph Blackmore. With 22 riders confirmed for 2027, there'll be more to come from Ineos in the transfer market before next season gets underway at the Tour Down Under.

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