News Round-up: Reports from Norway suggest Tobias Foss to Ineos Grenadiers is a done deal

We bring you the latest reports on the future of the former time trial world champion, as well as the racing results from the CRO Race and Tour de Langkawi

18:03, Friday 29th September 2023

George Poole

Junior Writer

Share

Tobias Foss looks set to be teammates with Geraint Thomas and co. in 2024

Norwegian media report that Tobias Foss has finally signed for Ineos Grenadiers

The Tobias Foss to Ineos Grenadiers saga has rumbled on throughout what has seemed like the entire 2023 campaign, with the Jumbo-Visma man long since linked with the British team. The deal was on, the deal was off... the deal now looks, back on?

Norwegian media company Landvei is now reporting that Tobias Foss has signed for Ineos Grenadiers for the 2024 season and beyond, news which was also picked up by Wielerflits. GCN has not yet been able to verify the report with the rider or his agent, it must be noted.

The saga was analysed by the editorial team on a recent episode of the World of Cycling, with Foss stuck in a similar position to Carlos Verona (Movistar), who was equally let down by Ineos Grenadiers in July before eventually signing for Lidl-Trek. For the Norwegian, it appears his patience with the British outfit has finally paid off.

Should the move come about, Foss will do well to escape the looming Visma-Soudal merger that would only serve to further reduce his opportunities on the Jumbo-Visma squad. That being said, both he and the team are content to part ways after a four-year relationship, the height of which came when Foss won the World Championships Time Trial in 2022.

The Norwegian, however, was not been able to pick up a victory since and will be hoping to revitalise his career with a fresh start.

Sasha Weemaes sprints to first professional victory at the Tour of Langkawi

Sasha Weemaes

Following a series of impressive performances throughout the first six days, Human Powered Health's Sasha Weemaes was finally rewarded with his first professional win on stage 7 of the Tour de Langkawi. The Belgian sprinted to victory ahead of Arvid de Kleijn (Tudor Pro Cycling) and Gleb Syritsa (Astana Qazaqstan), who finished second and third respectively.

Before today, he had racked up three podium finishes without a win at the Tour de Langkawi, but it all fell right for Human Powered Health on Friday. Weemaes benefitted not only from the slightly uphill finish that suited his explosivity, but also the important work of his teammates Adam de Vos, Gijs Van Hecke and Benjamin Perry, who all positioned him well heading into the final 500m.

"I knew there was an uphill finish, so I needed to come from out of the wheels after taking the slipstream. The perfect timing was important,” Weemaes noted the finish. “I was able to come with more speed at the right moment.

"It was amazing! Like the feeling that a rock has fallen off of my shoulders. Finally that victory.”

Meanwhile, stage 5 winner Simon Carr (EF Education-EasyPost) retained his handy advantage in the lead of the race and should seal the overall title on tomorrow's final stage, which looks likely to fall to the sprinters once again.

Matej Mohorič wins ahead of Magnus Sheffield on stage 4 of the CRO Race

Mohorič has been on a tear this season after his Tour stage win

On a steep uphill finish to the line in Labin, it was Bahrain Victorious' Matej Mohorič who held off the surging Magnus Sheffield (Ineos Grenadiers), to upset the Ineos Grenadiers and Jayco AlUla teams who had put plenty of work into the day's efforts.

Seeking to set their leader Eddie Dunbar up for the uphill run to the line, Jayco AlUla controlled the peloton for much of the afternoon, but ultimately saw their Irishman too far down the pack as the peloton approached the final few hundred metres. In their place, Ineos Grenadiers had swamped to the front and appeared to have Ethan Hayter best positioned.

However, the 25-year-old had no answer to Mohorič's sprint, who powered forward with a surge that only the American Sheffield appeared capable of matching. For the youngster, though, it was not to be, as Mohorič continued his fine 2023 campaign to pick up his sixth victory of the year.

There was to be a consolation prize for Sheffield, whose ride now sees him move into the lead of the race heading into the final two stages. Caja Rural-Seguros RGA's Orluis Aular sits just behind him a second back, whilst Jayco AlUla's Dunbar has shot up to ninth place, with an eight-second deficit.

According to news reported by WielerFlits on Thursday evening, the superteam born out of the likely Jumbo-Visma and Soudal Quick-Step merger has already secured the backing of two high-profile sponsors, American e-commerce hegemon Amazon and Quick-Step's current bike manufacturer, Specialized.

Dutch marketeer Chris Woerts revealed the likely sponsorship of the new-look team on the television programme Vandaag Inside. He noted that the investment from Amazon would be roughly $15 million per year, which would go some way to filling the hole left by Dutch supermarket Jumbo's impending departure from title sponsorship.

Het Laatste Nieuws reported on Thursday that a Jumbo-Visma executive had met with Specialized at the beginning of this week in Breda, a sign that the American company looks likely to provide the bikes for what might be a Visma-Soudal team in 2024.

Read the full story: Visma-Soudal merger to be backed by e-commerce giant Amazon

Soudal Quick-Step plans to bring together all staff and riders for a team meeting

By Dan Benson

Since Patrick Lefevere sent an internal – and later leaked – memo to the Soudal Quick-Step riders and staff, the management at the top of the team has been virtually silent on the future of the squad.

GCN has learned from a rival boss that several agents representing Soudal Quick-Step riders have been in contact looking for a ride.

On October 9, Soudal Quick-Step plan to gather all of their contracted riders and staff for a team meeting in Antwerp at the Soudal headquarters. It’s unlikely that the true nature of the deal/merger/takeover will be kept under such a guarded stance by then, but flights have been booked, and within the Soudal Quick-Step camp it's business as usual as far as some staffers are concerned.

"I know as much as you, you might know more. So I don’t know. It’s a question mark I guess," sports director Geert van Bondt told GCN from his cell phone in Belgium.

"There has been no communication since the letter and Patrick has just asked us to have faith in him. We just have to wait and that’s all I can say right now. I have faith in Patrick. He always said to me that the team was everything to him and that’s also what he said in the email. It’s 80 people and I think that’s his priority, to see that everyone is fine and that next year they all have a job, I think."

Read the full story: 'We have faith in Patrick Lefevere' says Soudal Quick-Step sports director

Pauline Ferrand-Prévot ruled out of European Gravel Championships with Covid

By Matilda Price

Ineos Grenadiers’ off-road star Pauline Ferrand-Prévot’s chances of defending her gravel world title look to be fading away with the Frenchwoman contracting Covid just eight days before the event.

View post on Instagram

Ferrand-Prévot, who is also the mountain biking cross-country Olympic and short track world champion, confirmed on Instagram on Friday morning that she had tested positive, forcing her out of this weekend’s European Gravel Championships, and making a start at Worlds unlikely.

With the European and World Gravel Championships clashing with the final two rounds of the UCI Mountain Bike World Series in North America, Ferrand-Prévot had opted to race gravel instead of mountain bike in the final weeks of the season and attempt to defend her rainbow jersey in Veneto.

Ferrand-Prévot’s Ineos Grenadiers off-road counterpart Tom Pidcock opted to see out the mountain bike season and is in action this weekend at the Snowshoe World Cup.