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Ineos Grenadiers have named the 2019 champion Egan Bernal amongst their Tour de France squad, as a part of a multi-pronged assault on the race.
Bernal suffered a horrific crash in January 2022 when he rode into a bus at high speed in his house nation, Colombia, whereas coaching. His lengthy highway to restoration has ramped up in current weeks with encouraging appearances on the Tour de Romandie and Criterium du Dauphine, however a critical problem for the yellow jersey seems unlikely in opposition to the sheer energy of reigning champion Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) and two-time winner Tadej Pogacar (UAE Emirates).
Ineos’s finest hope within the basic classification could due to this fact lie with Bernal’s teammates, Dani Martinez and Carlos Rodriguez. Martinez was set to problem for a podium end final 12 months earlier than falling ailing in the midst of the race, and the 27-year-old Colombian already has some spectacular stage-race wins on his palmares on the Dauphine (2020) and Tour of the Basque Nation (2022).
Rodriguez is the reigning Spanish nationwide champion and a prodigious expertise for whom Ineos maintain excessive hopes. The 22-year-old has by no means ridden the Tour earlier than however completed seventh final 12 months on the Vuelta a Espana in what was his first grand tour. Alongside the champion pedigree of Bernal and the rostrum potential of Martinez, it makes for a assorted however probably conflicting trio of staff leaders.
And that’s not the place Ineos’s race ends. Tom Pidock received a sensational victory atop Alpe d’Huez final 12 months which turned the main target of 1 episode of Netflix’s docu-series, Tour de France: Unchained. Pidcock might himself climb the overall classification ranks, having completed sixteenth final 12 months whereas sacrificing himself to assist Geraint Thomas on to the rostrum. However given Ineos’s plethora of GC choices, Pidcock is extra prone to go for particular person stage wins like that on Alpe d’Huez, the place he used his supreme descending expertise to hurry away from rivals earlier than the ultimate climb. Pidcock would possibly even be eyeing a stint sporting the yellow jersey in what’s a gruelling opening week within the Pyrenees, earlier than the large contenders take cost within the Alps.
Thomas and Luke Rowe, the long-time highway captain of Ineos (previously Workforce Sky), are two notable omissions. Thomas was shifted to concentrate on the Giro d’Italia this 12 months and fell agonisingly in need of general victory, and the 2020 Tour de France champion, who’s now 37, has admitted he could by no means experience the race once more. Rowe has missed out on choice to different domestiques.
Jonathan Castroviejo and Michal Kwiatkowski carry huge expertise on the highway, as does Omar Fraile – who himself would possibly fancy making an attempt for a breakaway stage win if allowed to roam free – and Doncaster’s 24-year-old Ben Turner makes up the eight-man squad.
Ineos Grenadiers: Tour de France 2023 squad
Egan Bernal
Jonathan Castroviejo
Omar Fraile
Michal Kwiatkowski
Daniel Martinez
Tom Pidcock
Carlos Rodriguez
Ben Turner
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