THE world’s best team of cyclists have an ideal partner in INEOS. Both want to be the best they can be. And both demand nothing but the absolute best.
Even though Team INEOS lost lead rider Chris Froome earlier this year to injury, the team still had one goal: to win this year's Tour de France.
The team was unveiled as Team INEOS in May.
At the launch Sir Dave Brailsford, the team’s principal, said INEOS' takeover from Sky heralded an exciting new beginning.
"We have had a very successful team and we will be looking to maintain that," he said. "But we are looking to grow as well. This is about something new, something pioneering and building something bigger and better."
The first race in the team’s new colours was the four-day Tour de Yorkshire, which Team INEOS went on to win.
Chris Lawless finished off an incredible display of teamwork to clinch overall victory.
“To repay INEOS like this, at a home race, is really special,” he said.
The team are also now riding a brand new bike – the Pinarello Dogma F12 – deemed to be the hottest bike in the world.
“It is an absolute weapon,” said a spokesman for the Global Cycling Network.
GRASSROOTS LEVEL:
IN 2017 INEOS was no longer happy to just watch the Tour de France from the sidelines.
So it challenged its staff to match the miles covered by the real riders each day – and raise money for charity.
By the end of the first Tour de France Challenge, more than 1,000 people – working in teams – had collectively cycled 324,393km.
Last year they rode 400,000km – the equivalent of cycling 10 times around the Earth – bringing the total raised for charity to almost €100,000.
This summer, 1,325 members of staff from Belgium, France, Germany, Switzerland, the US and the UK went even further.
The 64 teams covered 625,387km, squeezing in their mileage before, during and after work.
In 23 days INEOS’ cyclists burned more than 10 million calories as they scaled the equivalent of Mount Everest 323 times, losing almost 20,000 litres in sweat in the process.
The winning team – nicknamed Team Cool Colonia – clocked up 25,449km.
The men’s winner of the yellow jersey was Raymond Schmitt and Jodi Garner won the women’s vest.