INEOS Grenadiers are changing their focus fully and after a season where they have raced differently and put less emphasis on their Grand Tour results, the entry of TotalEnergies as a sponsor also means a change in signing priorities. The French national champion is something the French giant wished for and in Dorian Godon they got it. But it is a move that benefits both sides.
“Ineos are an exciting project for me. I always said ‘I want to ride in a foreign team’, as a French cyclist who has raced on French teams for 10 years. I want to discover a new team, and it’s one of the most professional,” Godon shared with Cyclingnews. His thoughts resemble those of several riders who grew up in French teams but in the latter phases of their career found themselves moving to top teams. The likes of Benoît Cosnefroy (UAE) and Bruno Armirail (Visma), still teammates of Godon currently, are good examples.
And after a stellar season, which included six wins – amongst them the national championships, but also four triumphs from late August to the end of the season – it didn’t come as a surprise that Godon would have a lot of interest from the World Tour entourage: “It was not my only possibility, but the most attractive one. At one time, I didn’t expect that I’d go to Ineos, but now there will be three French riders, so it will be nice to have a French touch in a British team”.
He joins Axel Laurance and also the new signing of the team Kévin Vauquelin to form a French block, and he is eager to be part of the team, knowing he won’t have to be in a domestique role in the Grand Tours as often used to be the case even with the brightest of talents. “Maybe three years ago, I didn’t want to go, but now I’m very excited, because they have changed their strategy a little bit. They are more aggressive and maybe more attractive.”
Clear goalsÂ
He also believes he can benefit from the current scene in the top competitions, where races are either very open, or there are very specific strategies to compete against the likes of Tadej Pogacar and Mathieu van der Poel. “You need to move a little bit earlier to change the strategy. Cycling races have changed a lot now, and you need to adapt. Not focusing on one rider all the time, it’s better to have a plan where everybody can have an opportunity.”
Godon is eyeing a few top races already where he can perform, he has on the past won stages at the Tour de Romandie and De Brabantse Pijl, but he wants to add more quality to his 16-win palmarès. “I will have my chance, there are not so many riders of my profile, maybe Ben Turner. I can win from a small group sprint, and I can help with the GC and breakaways during a Grand Tour. I’m very versatile. I want to win a one-day race, for example, like the GP de Québec or a Belgian Classic”.
Being part of the Tour de France’s team is also a goal and he even goes as far as dreaming of a potential yellow jersey in the first few stages – which is not out of reach for a rider of his quality, in all fairness. The race opens up with a team time trial in Barcelona and then features two hilltop finishes again in Barcelona (Montjuic) and Les Angles.
“It could be a dream to win in Barcelona and take the yellow jersey. I’m not so bad in a time trial, and I will progress, for sure, with the team’s development and their time trialing talents,” he concluded.
Godon in the French national champion’s jersey, which he will carry to INEOS Grenadiers. @Sirotti