Tour de France 2019, a stage from albertville to Val Thorens (59km) on July 27, 2019 in Val Thorens, France. (photo by Jean Catuffe/Getty Images)” width=”2400″ height=”1658″/>Thymen Arensman secured a significant stage victory at the 106th Tour de France, a crucial win that alleviates pressure on the Ineos grenadiers team. This triumph arrives amidst scrutiny from ARD and paul Kimmage of the Sunday Independent, who raised questions regarding the team’s Head of science, David Rozman, and his alleged past associations with doping doctor Mark Schmidt.
In response to these allegations, the team recently reaffirmed its commitment to a zero-tolerance policy and announced a formal request to the International Testing Agency (ITA) for any relevant information.
Dave Brailsford,who served as team principal during the period under scrutiny,has returned to Ineos Grenadiers after a stint with Manchester united. His reintegration has been met with positive reception from within the team.
According to reports, Brailsford’s input has been instrumental in shaping the team’s daily strategy.One team member commented on the positive impact of Brailsford’s hands-on approach, stating, “I think it has been really good to have Dave back on the bus. He has been having inputs into how we have built the strategy every day. It has been a really positive and we are really great to have him back more hands on in the team.”
Arensman,who joined the squad in 2023,is still in the developmental stages of his career. Prior to his Tour de France debut, he had achieved a stage win at the Vuelta a España and consistently delivered strong General Classification results in Grand Tours, including a ninth-place finish in one of his previous nine participations.
Reflecting on his maiden Tour de france, Arensman expressed his initial goal was simply to experience the world’s most prestigious cycling race. “To be honest, I just wanted to experience the Tour de France, the biggest race in the world,” he stated. “I did a lot of Giros and Vueltas with really good GC results,” he added, referencing his prior successes. “A stage win in the vuelta and a lot of times really close in the Giro,but I wanted to experience the biggest race in the world. To win a stage on my first Tour in this way is incredible, it is crazy.”
