‘We can be aggressive, there’s no need to play defence’ – Magnus Sheffield gives Ineos Grenadiers extra options at Tirreno-Adriatico

The USA’s Magnus Sheffield was able to greet his parents after his excellent Tirreno-Adriatico time trial up and down the Tuscan coast, a hug and familiar smiles going a long way to ease the disappointment of missing out on third place and an Ineos Grenadiers 1-2-3.

When Sheffield finished, he had set the fastest time, but just 60 seconds later, Max Walscheid (Lidl-Trek) beat him by just three tenths of a second. Sheffield finished 26 seconds slower than Filippo Ganna but only four seconds down on Thymen Arensman, as Ineos Grenadiers impressed on stage 1.

The impressive result came on the day Cyclingnews and La Gazzetta dello Sport revealed that the team has found a new sponsor ready to invest €20 million per year for the next five years to help them compete with their super team rivals.

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“It’s a bit disappointing, but that’s just the way the clock is sometimes,” Sheffield said.

“It was really special to have my parents around. I grew up on another continent, far, far away. After the races, I don’t usually get to see them like most people, so it’s really nice to have them here.”

Ineos riders already stand out in the peloton with their orange and white colours. On Tuesday’s stage to San Gimignano, Ganna will race in the leader’s blue jersey, Sheffield in the best young rider’s white jersey, and Arensman will wear the ciclamino points jersey for Ganna.

“It’s nice to have a jersey, and on stage 2, we’ll wear all the jerseys of the race,” Sheffield said.

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“I joined the team when I was 19, and I’m now 23. Time goes fast, but I’d forgotten I’m still in contention for the white jersey with so many younger guys coming into the sport.

After his record-breaking ride in the time trial, Ganna again played down his GC ambitions in this year’s Tirreno-Adriatico, but Arensman and Sheffield have gained a handful of precious seconds on all their GC rivals.

Primož Roglič (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) lost eight seconds to Arensman, Antonio Tiberi (Bahrain Victorious) lost 11 seconds, Isaac del Toro (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) lost 14 seconds, and Matteo Jorgenson (Visma-Lease a Bike) lost 21 seconds.

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“We can be aggressive, there’s no need to play defence,” Sheffield said.

“Being up there gives us nice options, especially with the parcours we have here. There’s no big mountain top finish, so I think the race is a bit more open this year, maybe similar to Paris-Nice. I think you’ll have a lot more contenders to fight for the beautiful trophy here. It’s nice to have multiple options in the GC.”

Sheffield will again target the Spring Classics but was fourth overall at Paris-Nice in 2025 and is ambitious for this Tirreno-Adriatico.

“My performance in Paris-Nice last year showed I can be consistent in a week-long race. I’ll take it day by day, but the GC is the goal,” he told Cyclingnews with quiet confidence.

“I think I had a good strike out on my season debut in Valenciana. I haven’t quite found my top, top shape yet, but I want to use this week to take a step up for the rest of the Classics.”