![\"Geraint](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/geraint-thomas-68bdec517dcd8.jpg@webp.webp\")
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The change has come quickly, but not easily. And the reason this team matters to him runs much deeper than contracts or calendars.<\/p>\n
The Tour win that shaped his dream<\/p>\n
When asked about his favourite moment in cycling history, Onley went straight to one race. \u201cI probably have to say it now because he\u2019s one of my bosses, but G winning the Tour in 2018 was pretty cool.\u201d<\/p>\n
He had watched British winners before, but that one stood out. \u201cI grew up watching Wiggins win the Tour as well, but I think when G won in 2018, it felt a little bit different.\u201d<\/p>\n
What stayed with him was not dominance, but humanity. \u201cHe wasn\u2019t someone who had been dominating before,\u201d Onley said. \u201cHe doesn\u2019t make it look easy when he wins.\u201d<\/p>\n
That mattered to a young rider trying to imagine what his own future could look like.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Geraint Thomas retired from racing at the 2025 Tour of Britain, stepping into a Director of Racing role at INEOS<\/p>\n
From watching to learning<\/p>\n
Years later, Onley found himself racing alongside the same rider he once watched on television. \u201cOver the last couple of years racing with him and seeing how hard he works, not just when he\u2019s going for his own result but preparing for his goals, it\u2019s something I really take inspiration from.\u201d<\/p>\n
Now Thomas has moved into a new role inside the team<\/a>, and that relationship has only deepened. \u201cI was really glad when I heard that he was going to take on this new role and still be part of the team. I\u2019ve already had quite a few phone calls and video calls with him.\u201d<\/p>\n Those conversations are not just tactical. \u201cHe was my age once and he knows what I\u2019m going through and what to expect in the coming months and years,\u201d Onley said. \u201cHe\u2019s someone I can keep in contact with whenever I have a question, not just about cycling but about the team as well.\u201d<\/p>\n For a rider stepping into a completely new environment, that matters. \u201cIt\u2019s a whole new environment for me and everything is different, so having someone I can contact and ask how things work is something I don\u2019t take for granted.\u201d<\/p>\n The team he always wanted<\/p>\n INEOS has always been more than just another WorldTour team in Onley\u2019s mind. \u201cIt was the team I grew up wanting to join when I was younger, obviously being a British team at the time and having some of the top British talent.\u201d<\/p>\n What struck him most when he first turned professional was the scale. \u201cWhen I first turned pro, looking across and seeing the amount of support they had at races, it\u2019s something you notice and want to be part of.\u201d<\/p>\n That British thread still matters to him, even in a global team. \u201cI think also having that British aspect is quite nice. Obviously, there are a lot of different nationalities on the team as well, but to still have that British core is exciting.\u201d<\/p>\n He also sees INEOS as a team that does not wait for races to suit them. \u201cI think a team like INEOS is really good at looking at opportunities in other places and creating exciting racing moments, and hopefully I can be part of that.\u201d<\/p>\n Aiming for the biggest races<\/p>\n Onley is clear about what he wants from this move. \u201cI\u2019m really looking forward to targeting the biggest races, the Grand Tours, with a team like this.\u201d<\/p>\n He sees his arrival as part of something being built. \u201cI think it\u2019s a really exciting project that we\u2019re starting, with myself and also some other riders in the team.\u201d<\/p>\n But belief has to be earned. \u201cI really want to kick on from last season and prove that I belong towards the top of these races, in the biggest races as well.\u201d<\/p>\n His approach is simple. \u201cI want to put myself in the best position possible to go into these races in the best form I can.\u201d<\/p>\n What comes after that, he knows, cannot be controlled. \u201cThen whatever happens from there happens. That part is kind of out of my control. But my focus is on getting the most out of myself and arriving at these big targets in the best possible shape, and then seeing what happens.\u201d<\/p>\n