Twelve months into the job he took after hanging up his wheels, Thomas has reached for a number the team’s fans will not want to hear. On the Watts Occurring podcast he co-hosts with Luke Rowe, the Welshman put Netcompany INEOS at 20 percent of its old self, as reported by Escape Collective.

“This might be a headline now, but let’s just say we’re at 20% of what we used to be, just to pick a number,” Thomas told the podcast, according to Escape Collective.

He reached for a ladder metaphor to make the point: you cannot go from the second rung straight to the eighth, and the team has climbed a couple of rungs in 2026 while also slipping a few times.

Netcompany INEOS closed the season eighth in the UCI WorldTour team rankings on 12,863.59 points, a long way behind UAE Team Emirates XRG, who ran out comfortable winners on 30,982.12. Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe took second, Team Visma-Lease a Bike third.

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From Grand Tour winners to the chasing pack

The Sky/INEOS machine that won seven Tours de France between 2012 and 2019, with Thomas himself crowned champion in 2018, has not put a rider on a Grand Tour podium in years. The 2026 version did not come close.

Climber Oscar Onley, brought in as a headline signing, was the team’s best Grand Tour result: sixth overall at the Vuelta a España after slipping out of the top five on the final mountain stage.

Escape Collective framed the bigger picture as a results failure softened by signs of progression, with newcomers Dorian Godon and Oscar Onley settling in alongside the existing core.

Thomas’s first year in the hot seat

Thomas was confirmed as director of racing on November 27, 2025, weeks after his final race as a professional. Per the team statement reported by Velo, he works closely with Sir Dave Brailsford, Dr. Scott Drawer and the rest of the senior management group, with input into race strategy and rider development.

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Netcompany INEOS opens its 2027 campaign at the Santos Tour Down Under, which runs 16-24 January 2027 in South Australia.

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