Dave Brailsford is set to leave Ineos Grenadiers after 12 years and will take a job leading Ineos Sport, the group that runs the sports sponsored by chemicals company Ineos, reports suggest.
Ineos, owned by British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe, has invested heavily in sports – including cycling, sailing, Formula 1, soccer and athletics - and, according to reports in Tuttobiciweb, Brailsford will take on a senior role in that group.
His departure would mark the end of an era but would not be a major surprise. While Ineos Grenadiers led the way in cycling for years, some of its recent signings in the era after Bradley Wiggins and Chris Froome have faltered, especially at the Tour de France.
The team has been eclipsed by both Jumbo Visma and UAE Team Emirates in recent years and this season Bahrain Victorious has also looked stronger than Ineos Grenadiers.
Advertisement
However, the British WorldTour team also has some very strong talent coming through, especially Tom Pidcock and Ethan Hayter. The next phase of the team’s development may focus on those riders more than the current established Grand Tour general classification group.
Related News
Brailsford has been almost invisible at races in recent seasons, proving much more reluctant to speak to the media now that the team’s dominance is over. He has also suffered from ill health.
He said recently in an interview in the UK media that he might have to put his health before cycling and leave the World Tour team, though he spoke only in hypothetical terms.
The report in Tuttobiciweb suggests his job at Ineos Grenadiers will be taken over by Rod Ellingworth. He has been with the team, previously Team Sky, for most of its existence.
Ellingworth, who came up through the coaching ranks in British Cycling, left the team in 2018 for Bahrain McLaren for a period, before returning to Ineos Grenadiers last year. Ironically, since his return to Ineos Grenadiers, Bahrain Victorious has enjoyed incredible success.
More to come.
Topics
