‘Brailsford’s return has been very positive’ – Ineos Grenadiers sports director gives thumbs-up to mid-2025 comeback of longstanding manager to British squad

Ineos Grenadiers sports director Imanol Erviti has given a resounding thumbs-up to the return of Dave Brailsford in a more leading role in the squad mid-way through last year.

Widely viewed as the mastermind behind British Cycling’s Olympic success and then the dominance of Team Sky (now Ineos Grenadiers) in the Tour de France, the longstanding team manager’s renewed focus on Ineos began on a public level last July during the Tour.

“We have welcomed him back into the team with open arms,” Team CEO John Allert told The Guardian of Brailsford’s return at the time.

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“He’s a not-so-secret weapon for us to use, and we plan on using him to the fullest extent we can.”

The overhaul of Ineos Grenadiers management then continued later in 2025 with – amongst other changes – 2018 Tour de France winner Geraint Thomas moving into a senior staff role as Director of Racing, after retiring last September.

Meanwhile, Zak Dempster, who had held a similar position, and sports director Oli Cookson both headed out of Ineos for Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe.

While Thomas now figures in the team’s staff listing on their website as director of racing, Brailsford’s exact role in the squad is not currently specified, although he was referred to in a press release in late November as being part of the senior management team. Meanwhile, as a team sports director since 2024 and present through all these changes, Erviti assured MARCA this week that Brailsford’s return had been “good.”

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“He has a massive influence on the team, and he’s a leader of the project,” Erviti said.

“He’s the person who makes us give the best of ourselves and the real driving force. His return has been very positive.”

Asked if the team had altered its working practices since then, Erviti said that change in itself had always formed part of the team’s personality.

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“I think the team’s DNA isn’t something that ever disappears, but at the same time, parts of the team can be modernized and changed,” he reasoned.

“It’s a work in process, and it’s clear we have to get up to speed and take some steps in some areas. We’re working on it.”

Ineos have certainly got off to a stronger start in 2026, snapping up both the opening prologue and stage 3 of the Tour Down Under, a race in which they were winless in 2025.

Meanwhile, Brandon Rivera and Egan Bernal have once again captured the Colombian National Championships time trial and road race victories, just as Bernal did in 2025. And in Europe, last week, 20-year-old US rider AJ August also claimed his first-ever pro win in a stage of the Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana.

Erviti also provided an update to MARCA on Carlos Rodríguez, set to make his return to racing after a seven-month absence at the Tour de la Provence on February 13.

“He’s going very well, he’s had a great winter, working well, and he’s just had a good training block in Tenerife.”

Rodríguez will then go on to Paris-Nice, the Volta a Catalunya and is in the long list for the Tour de France, where he took fifth overall and a stage win in 2023, as well as seventh in 2024. He may also do the Vuelta a España, Erviti said.

Apart from Brailsford, another big change is having Thomas as a manager, and Erviti was also positive about the Welshman’s new role.

“I’m very pleased with the work he’s doing. Even though he was a great rider, he’s a very down-to-earth kind of guy, so that makes working with him easy,” he said.

“He’s very much on board with the team culture and tactical aspects. He’s doing a great job, and little by little, we’ll see the benefits.”