While Brailsford\u2019s presence at Old Trafford has criticism
\nfrom some quarters, he remains a trusted man within the INEOS hierarchy. His
\nreduced role at United reflects a strategic shift, rather than a falling out,
\nas the company seeks to recalibrate its efforts across its various sporting
\ninvestments.<\/p>\n
The change in focus comes at a turbulent time. In 2024, both Thomas remains contracted to the team as a rider but is Brailsford\u2019s legacy in cycling is deeply rooted in the
\nManchester United and INEOS Grenadiers<\/a> suffered disappointing seasons. Though
\nfortunes have improved for the cycling team in 2025, United\u2019s struggles on the
\npitch have deepened, increasing pressure on the management structure Brailsford
\nhelped assemble.Since Team Sky became INEOS they have won the Tour de France<\/a>
\njust once, with Egan Bernal in 2019. But, 2025 has certainly started on a much
\nmore positive note for the team, after their terrible 2024.Looking ahead, one of Brailsford\u2019s key priorities will be to
\nguide the transition of Geraint Thomas<\/a> into a leadership role within the INEOS
\nGrenadiers setup. The 2018 Tour de France champion, now 39, is expected to
\nretire at the end of the 2025 season, after one final appearance in cycling\u2019s
\nmost prestigious race next month.<\/p>\n
\nalready being prepared for a future off the bike. His vast experience and close
\nties to the INEOS project make him a natural candidate for a managerial or
\nmentoring position. Sooner or later, it seems likely that Geraint Thomas will
\nbecome, \u201cDS Thomas.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nsuccess of Team Sky, which he helped establish in 2009. Under his leadership,
\nthe team redefined professional cycling, winning multiple Grand Tours with
\nriders such as Bradley Wiggins, Chris Froome, Thomas, and Egan Bernal. The
\noutfit remains one of the sport\u2019s wealthiest and most influential teams, but
\nmust challenge the rise of Visma and UAE if they are to return to the top.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"While Brailsford\u2019s presence at Old Trafford has criticism from some quarters, he remains a trusted man within the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":160369,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4104],"tags":[4230,79,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-160368","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-cycling","8":"tag-cycling","9":"tag-sports","10":"tag-uk","11":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/114631114968101165","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/160368","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=160368"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/160368\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/160369"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=160368"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=160368"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=160368"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}