Rohan Dennis has said he left Ineos Grenadiers to join Jumbo Visma because when he was with the British team he found they were copying what Jumbo Visma were doing.
Australian Dennis said he wanted to be with the team that was leading the way in innovation rather that sticking with Ineos Grenadiers, which he said was following Jumbo Visma.
"There's a lot of things that the team is doing really well," Dennis said in a recorded interview as he is missing the Jumbo Visma training camp after returning to Australia for an extended trip based around Christmas and this week's national championships.
"I've noticed when I was with Ineos that they were copying Jumbo with a lot of stuff and I thought; 'well, why would I want to be in a team that's copying the team on the other side of the fence? Why not go join that team and be on the front foot, not the back foot. So basically I wanted to move here because technically it is a better team. It looks like a great structure.
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"Also coming back to, semi, where I started, back when I was with Rabo(bank) in 2011. It's slightly different, that was a Conti team… a lot different. But I think it's a nice move and I'm really excited about it. In the sport, there's usually one or two teams that are really pushing to find those extra one or half per cent and at the moment that team that's leading is Jumbo."
Dennis (31) rode for Ineos Grenadiers for the last two years. In 2019 his tenure with Bahrain Victorious ended abruptly when he abandoned the Tour de France after a dispute about the quality of TT kit available to him. He abandoned the Tour on stage 12, just a day before the TT stage in Pau which he may have won.
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Dennis later said while promises about TT kit were made to him and then broken within the team, he also feared his marriage may end, explaining that was also part of the reason he abandoned the 2019 Tour. He also spoke about other issues he was having at the time, saying he was on the "slippery slope" towards and eating disorder.
Dennis never raced for Bahrain Victorious again after quitting the 2019 Tour but his contract did not end officially for another two months. He prepared for the TT at the World Championships on his own and defended his title in Yorkshire.
He won that second world title less than two weeks after his contract with Bahrain Victorious came to a premature end. He was then signed by Ineos Grenadiers for 2020 and 2021 and is about to embark on a two-year deal with Jumbo Visma. He was the key factor in Tao Geoghegan Hart winning the 2020 Giro d'Italia as he played a crucial role in the final mountain stages for the British rider.
When it was suggested to him that Jumbo Visma management had described him as "a dream asset", Dennis laughed and said there was "a bit of pressure when you get that label".
"It's not pressure I don't like, but it makes me realise my importance in the team and it's not just coming here and having fun. You're here to do a job, you're here to keep performing and that's what I like to do.
"It's one of those things where I've worked my whole professional career and even before, to get to this point. And it's always been a goal to be one of the best riders in the world.
"The big goal for me in the team is to actually do the Tour de France; a huge race, it's a circus. And I really want to be part of a team that's potentially going to win. I'll try help the team beat my old mate Tadej (Pogačar). I like him but he is the enemy."
