Dave Brailsford climbed the ladder in billionaire Jim Ratcliffe’s Ineos-backed sports enterprise before moving on to a role at Manchester United. But now he is moving back towards his former job, including working over the management at Ineos Grenadiers.
And that role with the World Tour cycling team will involve easing the transition of Tour de France winner Geraint Thomas into the senior management group at the team when he retires from racing at the end of the current season.
Ratcliffe famously backed Brexit and then changed his tax residence from Britain to Monaco, where he has been a neighbour of Geraint Thomas, who is among a large number of pro cyclists living their to save on paying tax in their home countries.
It is understood Ratcliffe is a big fan of Thomas, who has spoken out about the need for a stronger leading figure at Ineos Grenadiers to direct a clear path of the team. Ratcliffe wants Thomas to take on a senior management role at the cycling team after season end.
Brailsford will now be involved with the cycling team as Thomas makes the transition from Grand Tour-winning rider – though often second fiddle to another team leader – into hopefully bringing about a revival in the fortunes of Ineos Grenadiers.
The Times newspaper, which has broken many Ineos-related and Ratcliffe-related stories in recent years, has reported Brailsford’s stepping back from Man Utd and increasing his role as director of sport for Ineos.
Brailsford in February, 2024, took charge of footballing operations at Old Trafford after Ratcliffe bought a major stake in the club. In truth, it had been years since Brailsford had day-to-day involvement in, and control over, the cycling team.
Though he officially stepped back from being team principal at Ineos Grenadiers less than 18 months ago, he had been director of sport for Ineos since 2021. And from that point, the cycling team was only one of the Ineos sporting interests he oversaw.
Others included the company’s backing of the All Blacks and trying to the win the America’s Cup race. However, Ratcliffe and Ineos have since ended involvement in those areas. That means when Brailsford steps away from Man Utd, in favour of giving more of his time to his Ineos sport role, the cycling team will be a bigger part of the Ineos sporting organisation.
The moves for Brailsford and Thomas come about as Manchester United continues to struggle, finishing 15th in the Premiership this year. As a result, Ratcliffe is reshuffling his personnel at the club, with Brailsford shuffling out.
Ineos Grenadiers has also lost its leading position in cycling. It backed Egan Bernal – Tour and Giro winner – as its star general classification leader after the Chris Froome era. However, Bernal then suffered a life-threatening crash in January, 2022. Though he has fought back, and is racing quite well at present, he has never regained his leading position in the peloton.
In recent years, several teams have overtaken Ineos Grenadiers in pro cycling’s pecking order, and in the scale and frequency of victories won. Management changes inside the British World Tour outfit have not brought about the desired revival.
However, Thomas is the latest figure being brought into the management group at the cycling team as part of the rebuilding process.
