Giro d'Italia 2020 - Ineos Grenadiers the team to beat again, says Bradley Wiggins

ByTom Adams

Published 04/10/2020 at 08:40 GMT

It was a Tour de France to forget for Ineos Grenadiers but the first stage of the 2020 Giro d'Italia was a triumph, with Filippo Ganna taking the pink jersey and Geraint Thomas enjoying a superb time trial. Speaking on his Eurosport podcast, Bradley Wiggins says they are a force renewed and clearly the team to beat in Italy. Listen and subscribe now on your podcast platform of choice.

Ineos Grenadiers are once again the team to beat at the Giro d’Italia, says Bradley Wiggins, after a fantastic first stage which saw them respond superbly to their travails at the Tour de France.

Dave Brailsford’s outfit had a Tour to forget as leader Egan Bernal abandoned with injury problems and after wilting in the face of domination from Jumbo-Visma, even if it was Tadej Pogacar who ended up in yellow after one of the greatest upsets in cycling history.

But led by Geraint Thomas for the Giro, Ineos are a seemingly force renewed and as well as seeing Filippo Ganna come away with the stage win after a blistering time trial on Saturday, Thomas also put some substantial time into some of his GC rivals to get his title bid off to a superb start.

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As Brailsford said before the first stage of the Giro:

"Geraint’s one of the most experienced riders on our team, and has been very successful. He’s come a long way since the start of his career with us. It’s a high-level group with a high level of experience, and I feel like this group is in a different place than the Tour group was."

Speaking on his Eurosport podcast, Wiggins said that with the likes of Rohan Dennis, Ben Swift and Jonathan Castroviejo riding in support of Thomas, this was indeed a very different Ineos Grenadiers team.

“They looked like the team we always knew they were really,” said Wiggins.

“They've got a strong squad here. They have picked up where they left off in other years and I think they are going to be a squad to contend with, as they have already proved.

“They are almost a completely different team to the Tour team, but in so many other ways as well. Just in their presence.

Highlights: Ganna takes pink as Thomas opens gap on rivals

"I think Rohan as he said afterwards, he is here for three weeks and he is going to be a strong ally for Geraint in the mountains if all goes well.

“They have got a fantastic squad. A brilliant team.”

Listen and subscribe to The Bradley Wiggins Show

Brian Smith was also in agreement.

“They have got a very well-balanced team,” said Smith. “When you consider Rohan Dennis, the way he is time trialling and can get up mountains as he showed at Tour de Suisse last year… an absolutely amazing team. Ganna, to ride on the front. They have got the best team I think for Geraint Thomas.”

The Bradley Wiggins Show is back for the Giro d’Italia with new podcast episodes nearly every day of the three-week Grand Tour. Listen and subscribe now on your podcast platform of choice.

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