The comings and goings are continuing at Ineos Grenadiers, with ex-pro Roger Hammond and Ben Williams joining the management ranks at the team.
Williams joins from the sailing wing of the Ineos sports group put together in recent years by the chemicals company in a bid to boost its image as it comes under increasing pressure due to the climate emergency.
Hammond and Williams join Ineos Grenadiers just as Tim Kerrison, the man credited with changing how the team trained and prepared for racing, is leaving after more than a decade.
Dave Brailsford, who has been at the helm of the team since its launch as Sky Pro Cycling, is also expected to take on a role at Ineos Sport, which is made up of the entities backed by the chemicals company across a range of sports.
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Ineos Grenadiers has hit a plateau in recent seasons as it has been some way off winning the Tour de France, despite having a much bigger budget and more team leaders than ever. It is currently undergoing a major change process in a bid to get back into a position where it can win the Tour again.
There has also been significant movement in the rider roster with the following all leaving at the end of this year: Sebastian Henao, Leonardo Basso, Ivan Sosa, Gianni Moscon, Owain Doull, Rohan Dennis and Michal Golas.
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The team has also recruited some very strong young riders for next year, including American Magnus Sheffield, Briton Ben Tullett and Australian Luke Plapp.
One of the new management signings, Hammond is a former WorldTour rider and top cyclocross rider and has worked as a DS for Dimension Data and current employer Bahrain Victorious. He moves to Ineos Grenadiers as head DS.
Williams is current head of performance at sailing team Ineos Britannia and he joins Ineos Grenadiers as a member of the performance team, though he will continue to maintain some of his sailing role.
Rod Ellingworth, deputy team principal at Ineos Grenadiers, said Hammond and Williams had been hired at a time when the team was looking to a "new chapter" next year.
“Roger brings significant cycling experience and deep-rooted knowledge of the sport which will be invaluable as our lead sport director," he said.
"Ben brings a fresh perspective and we are keen for him to take a bit of time to stand back and observe how the team works before recommending how we can better integrate the different performance elements that are critical for future success."
