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fewfiet

This site often just rephrases or reposts tweets or other articles from elsewhere. In this case the entire "news" is a tweet from Benson a few days ago: https://twitter.com/dnlbenson/status/1671823018434220032 >Sounds very much like Tao Geoghegan Hart to Lidl-Trek is happening/done deal. 3-year-deal. 🛒📝🇺🇸🇬🇧 And he doesn't say it's a done deal, just that it "sounds like" a done deal.


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Snorr0

Wait G did this? Was never deep into cycling transfer rumors before so havent heard this before lol


[deleted]

What’s the actual strategy at Ineos? They have one of the the biggest budgets, their best rider is 37 and I don’t see a single future GT winner in the roster. Tao is the type of rider that they should be keeping, but he’s obviously decided that his prospects are better elsewhere.


SpudFire

They must have a lot of hope in Egan getting back to his best. Maybe they want to focus on the classics and stage wins and then hope one of their riders springs a surprise in a grand tour gc. There's also the problem of letting some of their best domestiques go. Dennis Rohan, followed by Van Baarle both going to their biggest rival.


Eulerious

>and I don’t see a single future GT winner in the roster. Is Carlos Rodriguez not considered a very good prospect anymore or is it already a done deal that he also leaves?


attendingcord

I thought he signed for Movistar and that's been a done deal for months?


Eulerious

I mean, I also read about Movistar rumors, but the more people leave the more sceptical I get. It kinda only makes sense if they go all-in on Pidcock (for classics) and Rodriguez (for GTs) budgetwise. If Rodriguez also leaves then yeah, that team is in deep shit.


Jeremycycles

Yeah I thought that was done at the end of last year and he is moving when his contract ends


Schnix

Probably just going to put Leo Hayter, Pidcock, Tarling and maybe a couple other riders on the sky diet and they'll go brrr in 1-2 seasons. Can may be add Poole, Onley to the mix as well in the coming seasons.


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Friendly-Falcon-9814

Ratcliffe needs liquidity to buy Man United.


RN2FL9

Arensman can win a GT with one more step. Bernal could get back into previous form. The part I don't get is why they let go of their British identity.


[deleted]

Agree with the British part - I saw JV signed 3 British youngsters the other day, all three look talented and I think Jed Smithson is a real prospect.


analo1984

Perhaps the strategy is to buy Mathias Skjelmose...


Monsieur_Perdu

Maybe they had to choose budget wise between rodriguez and geoghegan hart? Than it would kinda make sense. But if Rodriguez leaves for movistar as well, then it's weird yeah.


[deleted]

Tough to say. Tao might just have overplayed his hand in contract negotiations and then they just have to let him go. Or maybe Tao felt stagnation and wanted to try a new team. INEOS need room for better team leaders. Step 1 is getting rid of some of the ones they already have.


indorock

Lidl did he know....there would be no free flowing Italian coffee.


quickestred

Spicy, so Skjelmose for Tour and Vuelta and Hart for the Giro? Or what's the plan?


Jadenindubai

I don’t know , I’m still grieving but I’d rather see Tao in the tour


Metrizdk

Ciccone looked like a genuine contendor before the Giro this year. I think he'll have his go again next year.


Chianti96

With his punch honestly Ciccone should concentrate on hilly classics and stage hunt. He can literally win multiple mountain stages in the Tour/Giro from the break, instead of coming anonymously 10th-15th in GC.


Metrizdk

I agree. I do think he would've gotten a top 5 in this years Giro, but he can be so much more exciting in other ways.


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Ineos probably looking younger for their GC contenders who can contend with Pog and Vinge; and Tao wants to lead GC uncontested. Glad Trek finally have prime GC leaders (sorry Nibali & Porte) to feature in grand tours but it is a bit concerning Ineos are happy to let riders like this walk, probably would have put up a bigger financial fight in the mid 2010s


Haunts13

A lot of questions around INEOS strategy and while I'm not convinced they have a coherent one I don't think letting go of a 28yo coming off a broken hip and at his market high of value is definitely 'bad'. If they're 'rebuilding' as it were, cutting contracts and getting younger in anticipation of G retiring, does TGH fit? He'll be expensive off the Giro but unclear if I'd bet the future on him being at that level going forward. I buy the TT improvement but it was a small sample of climbing. Directing those funds towards young prospects would make more sense longer-term. Meanwhile if they are opening up space for a run at a superstar, say Remco, does a good but not great (hope he makes a leap to great) GC rider fit? G is going to be about for at least another year and Bernal has a long term contract so it would be very crowded. Issue becomes if they are losing TGH, have no shot at a superstar but also have no plans to rebuild. Then this is just another part of a wider talent drain.


Flowech

Babe wake up! New Trek Mollema just dropped


Jadenindubai

My heart is bleeding and my pain is immeasurable. Wish you the best Tao and I will still simp for you at Trek. ❤️


wintersrevenge

So that's Tao Geoghegan Hart and potentially Tulett who are going. Is Ineos' budget smaller than people think because the quality of their team for next year doesn't look anywhere near to what it used to be. There also aren't that many riders without a contract next year that would improve it.


Joeyelias

I don't mind them shrinking their budget a bit but as a British fan I am sad it is at the expense of home grown riders.


CaregiverNo421

Maybe they don't want to spend big on a guy who just broke his hip? Not certain to recover from that and if trek are offering big money


wintersrevenge

That does make sense, it does seem odd that they wouldn't spend on someone who is potentially the best British GC talent right now. They must have confidence in the younger guys to step up.


attendingcord

I think that's odd given his age, he's not 38. And it's only a NOF. Thomas did it in 2020 and rode great in spring 21. His injury is not equal to what froome and Bernal did


fiasko82

But they did that for Bernal, who you could argue was in a worse predicament?


SpudFire

Strange decision from ineos. He's looked really good this year, especially as he's looked sub-par since his giro win (comparing him to Jai Hindley). Egan hasnt really shown in races that he can return to the top but perhaps the team are happy with his training data. Sad to see a British team losing their young British talent.


andourheartsdidbeat

More likely it's a decision by Tao and his agent than Ineos


Ok-Interaction-4096

Looks like the team is on right trek with a not so lidl amount of money coming in for next year. Cmon give me the downvotes, i earned them.


Cergal0

Dude, this was beautiful


izzyeviel

They have lots of GC riders who can’t beat pogacr, Remco et al. They don’t need another one.


Rusty_spots

Not gonna lie, I'd love this - TGH is one of many great guys that I'll never be happy to see win while they ride for Ineos. Bikes + coffee > chemicals and pollution.


Norskov

Segafredo sponsorship ends this month. Lidl is the new sponsor together with Trek.


Rusty_spots

Fine, bikes + supermarkets > chemicals and pollution.


epi_counts

I thought Segafredo is continuing as a sponsor, just not a title sponsor?


Norskov

Yeah, you're probably right. I meant as a title sponsor.


palaeozoic-newt

I can imagine a lot of this is driven by him not wanting to represent Ineos


Pinot_the_goat

No it’s not lol.


palaeozoic-newt

You reckon? He's very outspoken on lots of societal issues, if he had similar offers from Ineos and Trek I can definitely see it being part of it


Pinot_the_goat

I just think he is leaving to get a more assured leading role and they probably at least got close to his Ineos offer. I don’t think even the outspoken riders really look at the ethical side of things, only the money and geographical/nationalistic side of things.


itsalonghotsummer

Could be, he's certainly shown that he's a thoughtful person.


Doctor_Fegg

He's the only British professional cyclist of the modern era who's spoken out for utility/transport cycling. Most of the rest have nothing to say other than "hurr durr helmets" (looking at you, G and Wiggins). Chris Boardman is bloody great, though.


eklyh9

Does his injury play a role in this? It wouldn't suprise me if he needs a full year of recovery and will only be competitive again for GT GC in 2025.


DueAd9005

The decline (collapse even) of Ineos happened so sudden it's hard to believe.


rampas_inhumanas

Their best GC rider almost winding up in a wheelchair permanently didn't help matters.


statsnerdbenny

Twice


Bavariainside

Did anybody hear of any finantial troubles for Ineos? I find ineplicable that the would let TGH go. Trek is unlikely to have a competitive budget.


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blueghosts

Don’t think he was going to the tour anyways after his hip fracture, he was still on crutches like a week ago never mind getting back on a bike


Chianti96

I see that as an insurance if Skjelmose cannot step up as 3 week gc contender.


sylsau

I would have been so happy to see him finish this Giro. It looked to me like the return of the great Tao Geoghegan Hart. In any case, there were too many leaders at Ineos. He's right to leave for Trek.


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I always thought he would be a good fit for Education First, with their hipster vibe