Ineos Grenadiers have announced a raft of changes to their performance staff after their worst season ever, including new sports directors and a lead performance coach among other new roles, they announced on Tuesday evening.
The team achieved just 14 wins in 2024, and have mixed up their staff as a result, meaning the second off-season in a row that backroom staff have been moved around. Last year, Ineos appointed a new CEO, performance director and head of racing.
This year, Ineos' performance director, Dr Scott Drawer, said that the changes have brought a "highly motivated, hungry and ambitious team of coaches, sports directors and performance specialists" to the squad after "six months listening, observing, and working with the team to determine what's needed to set ourselves up for excellence".
According to a press release "three distinct performance streams" will be set up: Grand Tours and Stage Racing, Classics and One Day Racing, and Future Talent. There will also be a "renewed focus on specialist coaching in time trials, sprint and power development, endurance training science, race strategy, aerodynamics and technology development", the team said.
The two new sports directors are Kurt-Asle Arvesen and Leonardo Basso; the latter raced for the team between 2019 and 2021, while the former ended his career with Team Sky in 2011, and is currently a DS at Uno-X Mobility, and will be "lead" DS.
Dr Mehdi Kordi, who was a coach for GB and most recently for the Dutch national track team, is now Ineos' head of performance support and innovation, while Tom Helleman, previously of dsm-firmenich PostNL, has joined as lead performance coach.
After Dan Bigham left to join Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe as head of engineering, Dr Lucia Oggiano is elevated to the director of research and development, while the team is still searching for a head of engineering and technology.
There is no mention of Steve Cummings, who was promoted last year to director of racing, but has not been seen at a race since the Critérium du Dauphiné.
The announcement of a new management set-up is an attempt to quell a turbulent end to the season. After Tom Pidcock was "deselected" from Il Lombardia, later confirmed as a management decision, rumours over the Olympic MTB champion's future at the squad were prominent. However, according to reporting by Cyclingnews this week, it now appears Pidcock will stay at the team.
"I’ve spent six months listening, observing, and working with the team to determine what's needed to set ourselves up for excellence for 2025 and beyond," Dr Drawer said this week. "I’ve been looking at every element of how we race, how we train and how we support our riders in the changing landscape of professional cycling.
"We have a highly motivated, hungry and ambitious team of coaches, sports directors and performance specialists who want to create an environment that allows our riders to fulfill their potential. That collective energy and desire will set us up for the challenges and opportunities that await in 2025.
"We are going to spend the rest of this year making further positive changes: setting the team’s performance plans and goals, executing some key training camps and getting the whole team ready to race hard in January. We want to set the right tone from the start and will be working closely with our riders to establish the culture which will facilitate success and be fundamental to our future."
"Scott has conducted a thorough review of every element of performance with his trademark energy and focus," John Allert, the team's CEO, added. "He has come up with a clear plan and the decisive changes needed to set us up for success in the coming years. “This is a team with a proud legacy of success, and we are all determined to get back to the top step of the podium. Our new performance structure and approach are key to building the next chapter for the team."
