Can the Ineos Grenadiers threaten the big four at the Tour de France?

RadioCycling

The Critérium du Dauphiné starts on Sunday and the Tour de Suisse takes place soon after, and both races are clear indicators that the Tour de France is now just weeks away. Top of the menu in July, of course, will be the much-hyped and long-awaited clash between the big four – Jonas Vingegaard, Tadej Pogačar, Remco Evenepoel and Primož Roglič.

But what of the Ineos Grenadiers? Knocked from their perch having dominated the Tour during the 2010s, the British team is resurgent. They may not have a rider to compare with the four main favourites, but can Jim Ratcliffe’s riders be the disruptors at this year’s Tour de France?

We speak to Ineos team manager Steve Cummings, who highlights the untapped potential of young Spaniard Carlos Rodríguez, the ever-improving form of 2019 Tour champion Egan Bernal, who's getting back to his best following his life-threatening crash in 2022, and of the all-round strength within the British team, whose Tour line-up is set to provide an interesting combination of youth and experience.

Plus, just a fortnight or so back, it was looking hightly unlikely that Jonas Vingegaard would defend his Tour de France title. However, having returned to training at home in Denmark and then in the hills of Majorca, the Visma | Lease A Bike leader has joined his teammates at an altitude training camp in the French ski resort of Tignes this week.

With Vingegaard ever more likely to be on the Tour start line in Florence on 29 June, we speak to his coach Tim Heemskerk, who tells us that the Dane's training is being assessed and tweaked on a day by day basis with the aim of getting him into the right condition to be able to compete with his rivals at the at the Tour. "But," says Heemskerk, "we're respecting his recovery of course, we're not forcing anything..."

Earlier this week, RadioCycling's Chris Marshall-Bell travelled to Switzerland to visit the headquarters of the UCI and the International Testing Agency (ITA) that now oversees anti-doping in cycling. Having spoken at length to UCI president David Lappartient, the ITA's recently-appointed investigative chief Nick Raudenski and Olivier Banuls, head of the ITA's cycling unit, Chris reveals their take on technical fraud and particularly motor doping, their fears about athletes microdosing banned products, and changes to the ADAMS whereabouts system.

Also, in "Ways to Make Cycling Better" we hear from Lidl-Trek star Mads Pedersen, who has an intriguing suggestion for increasing connection with fans.

This podcast is brought to you with the support of our sponsor, Saddle Skedaddle. For details on all of Skedaddle's holidays, go to www.skedaddle.com

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Marion - High Hopes

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