Like at United, there has been a shake-up at various levels of management since Brailsford’s return. CEO John Allert left the team in May, shortly after shoring up the arrival of Netcompany as title sponsor in a deal worth a reported €20 million per year.
On the sporting side, the most significant change already came last winter, when the freshly retired Geraint Thomas became the team’s new director of racing. Much like the appointment of Michael Carrick at Manchester United, Ineos opted for a figure from the team’s glory years in the hope of getting them back on course.
Thomas, like Carrick, hasn’t managed to turn the ship around just yet, though unlike his footballing counterpart, he doesn’t find himself in stormy waters. Despite the increasing football-ification of management roles in cycling, there is no sense that Thomas’ job is at risk.
Although Brailsford hasn’t deigned to speak to media since his second coming at Ineos, one imagines there is acceptance that Netcompany-Ineos are, for the time being, a long way off getting back to where they want to be. Thomas’ project is a long-term one, as he pointed out during the week.
“Let’s just say we’re starting at 20% of what we used to be, just to pick a number. You can’t just go from 20 back to 80 straight away,” Thomas said. “It’s like climbing a ladder, isn’t it? You can’t go from the second rung of a ladder straight to eight. You got to go to three, four, five.”