Britain’s Tom Pidcock will aim for stage wins at the Tour de France this year as Ineos Grenadiers also include 2019 winner Egan Bernal in their squad.
Pidcock, 23, will aim to build on his 2022 success, when he won on the legendary climb up to Alpe d’Huez.
“I’m excited to be back for another beautiful three weeks,” said Pidcock.
“To win an iconic stage and wear the white jersey in 2022 are lifelong memories, and this year I want to build on that as I continue to progress my career.
“We’ve got an exciting group of riders and we’ll be looking to race with intent and be tactically smart, as we execute the plans we’ve developed as a team.”
Pidcock was lauded for his speed as he descended from the mountains during that stage 11 win – at times travelling at more than 100kph.
But the dangers of descending at such high speeds will be a big talking point during this year’s Tour – which starts on 1 July in the Spanish city of Bilbao – after the death of Swiss rider Gino Mader of Bahrain-Victorious at the Tour de Suisse this month.
This year’s Tour race is expected to be won by either Slovenia’s Tadej Pogacar of UAE-Team Emirates or Denmark’s Jonas Vingegaard of Jumbo-Visma – last year’s victor.
But Ineos, who won cycling’s biggest race seven times between 2012 and 2019, will also hope Bernal can contend in the general classification.
“Making my return to the Tour has always been a major goal for me,” said Bernal. “I’m so excited to be able to experience every kilometre of this race again.”
Bernal failed to retain his title in 2020, which was won by Pogacar. But after an imperious win at the 2021 Giro d’Italia, Bernal suffered serious injuries in January last year when he collided with the back of a bus while riding a time-trial bike in Colombia during training.
The crash left him in intensive care as he recovered from surgery on his spine and several other fractures.
“I’m sure many people have followed everything that has happened to me since my accident in January last year, and the journey I’ve been through to overcome the greatest test of my life,” he said.
“Being a part of this year’s Tour team reassures me that I’m on my way to returning to my best.”
Ineos Grenadiers squad: Egan Bernal (Col), Tom Pidcock (GB), Daniel Martinez (Col), Michal Kwiatkowski (Pol), Omar Fraile (Spa), Carlos Rodriguez (Spa), Ben Turner (GB), Jonathan Castroviejo (Spa).
