Ineos Grenadiers 'remain in the fight' despite early time losses
Geraint Thomas dropped from the main group of favourites on the Mûr-de-Bretagne finish on stage two

Richard Carapaz says the Ineos Grenadiers "remain in the fight" at the Tour de France after the opening couple of stages have seen last year's first and second place Tadej Pogačar and Primož Roglič surge to the top of the general classification as Geraint Thomas lost time up the Mûr-de-Bretagne on stage two.
Pogačar and Roglič finished second and third behind Mathieu van der Poel, who stormed into the yellow jersey with his debut Tour stage win, and have already opened up a slight gap over the other favourites for the overall victory.
While Richard Carapaz finished two seconds behind the two Slovenians, Geraint Thomas was unhitched on the climb to the finish, losing 15 seconds to his team-mate.
Thomas now finds himself 28 seconds behind third-place Pogačar, while the Ecuadorian Carapaz is only 10 seconds better.
"The stage was complicated. The final was quite nervous and a lot of people wanted to try and attack," Carapaz said after the stage.
"For us, the team was there and they did some amazing work into the finish. The pull by Richie Porte was incredible to put us into good position. It’s a bit of a shame that G lost a few seconds but we remain in the fight and there is a lot to come. We will see little by little, day by day."
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
With stages three and four flat affairs for the sprinters, the stage five time trial will give Thomas an opportunity to claw back some seconds.
The fact is, however, that of the four Ineos Grenadiers that were touted as potential contenders, only two remain, the British squad forced to burn matches early. Giro d'Italia winner Tao Geoghegan Hart lost five minutes on the opening stage after being caught behind a crash, and lost nearly four more on stage two after working hard to keep his leaders out of trouble, while Richie Porte also sits three minutes off the pace after only two days having also led from the front up the Mûr-de-Bretagne.
The pecking order at Ineos has become a lot clearer in the blink of an eye. Blink again, and it seems even at this early stage that the Slovenians could already be well up the road.
Thank you for reading 20 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access
Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription
Join now for unlimited access
Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
Jonny was Cycling Weekly's Weekend Editor until 2022.
I like writing offbeat features and eating too much bread when working out on the road at bike races.
Before joining Cycling Weekly I worked at The Tab and I've also written for Vice, Time Out, and worked freelance for The Telegraph (I know, but I needed the money at the time so let me live).
I also worked for ITV Cycling between 2011-2018 on their Tour de France and Vuelta a España coverage. Sometimes I'd be helping the producers make the programme and other times I'd be getting the lunches. Just in case you were wondering - Phil Liggett and Paul Sherwen had the same ham sandwich every day, it was great.
-
Gear up for your best summer of riding – Balfe's Bikes has up to 54% off Bontrager shoes, helmets, lights and much more
Supported It's not just Bontrager, Balfe's has a huge selection of discounted kit from the best cycling brands including Trek, Specialized, Giant and Castelli all with big reductions
By Paul Brett
-
7-Eleven returns to the peloton for one day only at Liège-Bastogne-Liège
Uno-X Mobility to rebrand as 7-Eleven for Sunday's Monument to pay tribute to iconic American team from the 1980s
By Tom Thewlis
-
Jonas Vingegaard confirms race schedule ahead of Tour de France
Danish climber will only ride the Critérium du Dauphiné in June, but will take part in two altitude camps
By Tom Thewlis
-
Remco Evenepoel hails end of 'dark period' and announces racing return
Olympic champion says comeback from training crash has been 'the hardest battle of my life so far'
By Tom Thewlis
-
'We need to keep the biggest race in the sport free' - Petition calling for Tour de France to remain on free-to-air television reaches 10,000 signatures
As things stand, the Tour will be not be free to watch in 2026, but a petition is seeking to change the way it is categorised by the UK government
By Adam Becket
-
Could Caleb Ewan be Ineos Grenadiers' first Tour de France sprinter since Mark Cavendish? 'That's my goal'
"All I can do is try to win as much as possible and prove that I deserve to be there," says Australian
By Tom Davidson
-
Extra wildcard team approved for Tour de France, Giro d'Italia and Vuelta a España
Number of teams to increase from 22 to 23 at men's Grand Tours
By Tom Davidson
-
Jonas Vingegaard out of Volta a Catalunya after Paris-Nice crash
Visma-Lease a Bike say two-time Tour de France winner needs more time to recover from wrist injury sustained in France last week
By Tom Thewlis
-
'We've all got a little bit extra in us this year' - Ineos Grenadiers recapture 'fighting spirit' with aggressive Paris-Nice display
British team continue to put tumultuous 2024 behind them with momentum and a new found mentality
By Tom Thewlis
-
Matteo Jorgenson aiming to 'set the bar higher' and target a Grand Tour after securing second Paris-Nice title
American explained that targeting a win in one of the sport's biggest three-week races was now the logical next step in his career
By Tom Thewlis