Robbie McEwen has said that he believes Ineos Grenadiers have a "fresh mentality" coming into the new season which is already bringing them results.
After enduring their worst ever season on record, the team has started 2025 with a bang, winning four times in the first few races of the year.
Michał Kwiatkowski achieved Ineos’ first pro win in 226 days at the Clásica Jaén last week. That was then followed up with Josh Tarling taking victory in the time trial at the UAE Tour, marking the team’s first WorldTour win in 254 days in the process. Prior to those two victories, Egan Bernal won the time trial and road race at the Colombian national championships.
Filippo Ganna appeared to have added to the tally on stage one of the Volta ao Algarve in Portugal. But the opening stage was subsequently cancelled in unusual circumstances.
Speaking on Thursday, TNT Sports expert McEwen backed Ineos to continue their rich vein of form and said that he believed the influence of the more senior figures on the team was partly behind their bright start.
"I think it’s the riders themselves who have brought about the turnaround," McEwen said. "Obviously, they’re the ones pushing the pedals, but from the outside looking in, it seems like the riders have taken much more ownership of their roles within the team. Before, everything was very structured—they were told exactly when to do things, there was a formula to follow.
"Now, it looks like they’re just out there racing their bikes, without overthinking it or waiting for instructions over the race radio. I think they were getting bogged down by all the planning and structure. Now they’re racing with their hearts again. They’re throwing themselves into races and enjoying it, rather than going through a process that’s filled with pressure."
He added: "I think it’s the veterans in the team, like [Michal] Kwiatkowski and Geraint Thomas, who are leading the charge with this new attitude. It really feels like a fresh mentality, and I think that’s driving the team forward, and I’m liking what I’m seeing."
Ineos recently signed Australian sprinter Caleb Ewan from Jayco AIUla, suggesting that the team could partly shift its identity in the coming weeks towards one more focused on sprint stages in Grand Tours. The team has always predominantly been a GC centred squad in the biggest races of the season.
Ewan has not won a WorldTour race since 2022, but McEwen said he believes the 30-year-old is in the right environment now.
He said: "The important thing is that Caleb feels confident, that he’s really welcomed into the team, and that the team is invested in having a sprinter who can win on flat stages. They’ve got the firepower to support him. He just needs to find one or two guys he can really gel with, and if they have some success together, I think that confidence will build. It’ll be interesting to see how that plays out in the first few races.
"It might be a bit of a struggle at first, considering he hasn’t raced much recently, but I’m willing to give him a couple of months to find top form and start grabbing wins. It would be great to see an INEOS jersey back in the mix in the bunch sprints again."
TNT Sports is the home of cycling in the UK and Ireland. Watch The Ultimate Cycling Show every Thursday at 10pm on Quest.
