Is Ineos in decline?

[Pale Rider]

I've been wondering for a while if Ineos is in decline.

They didn't seem to do a great deal towards the end of last season, and I've hardly seen the jersey in the races so far this season.

I suppose they could be described as a grand tour team, but it still seems to my amateur eye they haven't been performing in the other races.

I'm interested to hear the views of people on here who have a far greater knowledge of pro cycling than me.

 

[cyberknight]

They never really have done much in other races as you say they have morphed into a GT team , they have won the odd single day race and classic but unless its part of the plan to hone their skills and fitness i dont think they are that bothered .
In the big scheme of things the sponsor wants brand awareness en masse and the general non cycling public have probably heard of the TDF and nothing else .

 

[Ian H]

I'd quite like to see the back of 'super' teams that just parachute in to win the Grand Tours. I don't think they benefit cycle-sport as a whole

 

[Dogtrousers]

They never really have done much in other races as you say they have morphed into a GT team , they have won the odd single day race and classic but unless its part of the plan to hone their skills and fitness i dont think they are that bothered .
In the big scheme of things the sponsor wants brand awareness en masse and the general non cycling public have probably heard of the TDF and nothing else .

Not sure about "morphed". Have they ever been anything other than a GT, particularly TdF team? IIRC they were formed with the express intention of getting "a British TdF winner"

They've never done much in the classics. I remember Kwiat won MSR (?) a couple of years ago. Maybe a few others probably.

But given their results in the one race they really target, no, I don't think they can be said to be in decline.

 

[mjr]

Probably. Maybe partly that they have been overtaken more than gotten worse. UCI rankings, taken from Wikipedia En and Fr unchecked:

2019 - 10500ish pts, 6th place
2018 - 10200ish pts, 2nd place
2017 - 12800ish pts, 1st place
2016 - 1187pts, 3rd place
2015 - 1378pts, 3rd place
2014 - 890pts, 9th
2013 - 1561pts, 2nd
2012 - 1767pts, 1st
2011 - 1069pts, 2nd

 

[cyberknight]

Unfortunatly super teams have been about for a very long time be it the current crop, US postal system U , la vie claire, renault , faema etc

 

[Pale Rider]

Probably. Maybe partly that they have been overtaken more than gotten worse. UCI rankings:

2019 - 10500ish pts, 6th place
2018 - 10200ish pts, 2nd place
2017 - 12800ish pts, 1st place
2016 - 1187pts, 3rd place
2015 - 1378pts, 3rd place
2014 - 890pts, 9th
2013 - 1561pts, 2nd
2012 - 1767pts, 1st
2011 - 1069pts, 2nd

Looks like last year was a poor year in their terms.

As regards being overtaken, I formed the impression from remarks made by a couple of summarisers on the telly that Jumbo-Visma are out Ineosing Ineos in terms of meticulous preparation.

 

[Adam4868]

Outside of the armchair fans who would you think people know/have heard of ? The Tour is still the biggest prize in the sport and they have had a pretty impressive run to say the least.So the answer would be no.
As for decline I very much doubt it,theres the next generation coming through Bernal,Sivakov,Tao G Hart....onwards and upwards.

 

[CanucksTraveller]

Unfortunatly super teams have been about for a very long time be it the current crop, US postal system U , la vie claire, renault , faema etc

Exactly... Peugeot, Molteni, T Mobile, Banesto... we could go on all night. I'm not sure I get the "unfortunately" bit though... teams have always had different goals. There have been Grand Tour teams forever, pretty much.

It's a bit like complaining that (for example) Liverpool focus on the Champions League and Premier League, with little regard for the Carabao Cup, or that Ronnie O'Sullivan targets the Masters and can't be doing with the Dutch Open, it just happens. You cant always fight on all fronts effectively.

But back to the OP.... Ineos in decline... no, that's not a fair conclusion in March of a new season.

 

[cyberknight]

Not sure about "morphed". Have they ever been anything other than a GT, particularly TdF team? IIRC they were formed with the express intention of getting "a British TdF winner"

They've never done much in the classics. I remember Kwiat won MSR (?) a couple of years ago. Maybe a few others probably.

But given their results in the one race they really target, no, I don't think they can be said to be in decline.

I think the team have become more focused in their choice of riders to support GC in GT , the original team had more all rounders including a bit of sprinting and classics style riders and then they tried to have Cav .

 

[Dogtrousers]

I think the team have become more focused in their choice of riders to support GC in GT , the original team had more all rounders including a bit of sprinting and classics style riders and then they tried to have Cav .

Yeah, I guess my memory of their earlier days is a bit shaky now.

The Cav experiment didn't exactly go well, apart from a few moments like him being led out on the Champs Elysees by his madison partner ... Forget his name now

 

[DRM]

I think that everything that other teams ridiculed Team Sky/Team Ineos for doing, are now being put into place by those teams, as the information has either leaked, or has been worked out, so the other teams have effectively caught up with them, the fact that they don’t really seem overly fussed about the classics, but concentrate on the Tour and now the Vuelta doesn’t mean they are in decline, i’ll Stick my neck out and say barring a disaster Chris Froome will win the tour this year, as long as it’s not cancelled

 

[SWSteve]

I think INEOS are just focussed on winning what gets the most coverage for their sponsor (they know which side of the bread is buttered) and spend their money accordingly. There’s been some talk that they recognise the need to pick up some results in the classics/monuments, but these are a lot more difficult to plan for and execute as opposed to a drawn out GT