Ineos Grenadiers’ new CEO John Allert said the team had entered an “exciting new era” after a winter turnaround, adding that there was nothing to stop them getting to the top even if they were now “hunters rather than hunters”. Hunted”.
Australian Allert, who worked as a marketing manager at McLaren F1 before getting into cycling, is leading the new-look set-up of Ineos Grenadiers, formerly Team Sky, which included Sir Dave Brailsford after Rod Ellingworth resigned at the end of last year. He is stepping down as team boss to focus on his wider role as Ineos’ sporting director.
Brailsford is particularly focused on Ineos’ latest acquisition, Manchester United.
Speaking to the media for the first time on Tuesday, Allert said Brailsford remained the “godfather” of the team he founded in 2009 and would continue to be involved from an Ineos perspective. He added that Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s company had made a long-term commitment and “no timeline has been set for this commitment”.
Allert rejected suggestions from former US Postmaster Johan Bruyneel that Ineos Grenadiers’ budget was cut by €10 million (£8.56 million) following a review of passenger wages.
“I think a lot has been said about our budget,” Allert said. “Whether it’s the biggest budget in the sport or not, we believe we have a budget that will allow us to win grand tour races.
“There was absolutely no reduction in our budget, no reduction in our budget. I think our budget is everything we need. There is no doubt about Ineos’ commitment to cycling. There is no set time horizon for this commitment.
“For me it’s a very exciting time because it’s the start of the season and it’s fair to say that as a team we are the hunters and not the hunted and that puts a slightly different spin on things,” Allert said. “We’ve clearly transitioned from single leadership to new leadership, we’ve got an exciting group of drivers and we’ve had a good start to the season. I feel a lot of optimism within the team and in the sport.”
Allert said his main focus since his appointment as CEO in the fall and stepping down as chief executive was to implement a more “streamlined” structure with “the right people playing in the right positions.”
Under Allert will be performance director Dr Scott Drawer, who looks after the performance side. Drawer, most recently head of sport at Millfield School, has knowledge of UK Sport and the Team GB system, leading research and innovation across five Olympic cycles.
Allert described Drawer as a “proven innovator and innovator,” adding that he will lead with a strong eye for research and innovation. At the bottom of the drawer will be an R&D group, including former Mercedes F1 aerodynamicist and hour record holder Dan Bigham.
In terms of talent, Ineos Grenadiers reportedly tried and failed to sign a number of big players last year, including Remco Evenepoel and Primoz Roglic. Allert did not confirm that these were missed targets, only stating that 2023 was turning into a “soap opera” of sorts and that he would not add to the rumors. He said any transfers going forward would be signed “collectively”, including Brailsford and Ineos Sport.
However, Ineos Grenadiers start 2024 with the same squad as last year, excluding departures such as Pavel Sivakov, Dani Martínez and Tao Geoghegan Hart.
Allert admitted that it will not be easy to beat drivers in the class of Jonas Vingegaard or Tadej Pogacar in the short term. But Geraint Thomas said he was confident Carlos Rodríguez, Egan Bernal and Tom Pidcock could lead the team effectively in 2024, with an “extraordinary new generation of riders” such as European time trial champion Josh Tarling looking to achieve success.
“I think everyone can see that there are some outstanding GC riders at the moment,” Allert said, referring to Pogacar and Vingegaard. “I believe we have a lot of outstanding GC riders too, both experienced, proven GC riders – there are two Tour winners in the team [Bernal and Thomas]. We also have an outstanding new generation of drivers.
“Our goals are to get as close to the top of the podium as possible in the Tour, in any grand tour or in any race. Whether that will be this year or next year remains to be seen. We know the competition is tough.
“I think sometimes people mistakenly think that focus has wandered. But this [grand tours] has always been the DNA of the team. This continued from our previous owners through to Ineos ownership and the ambition is the same.
“With that comes an identity that I think is absolutely clear for those within the team. That’s why we are a GC team first and foremost and we want to be on the top step of the podium. That’s it.”