British Ineos Grenadier Cycling Team insist they will continue to play the sport but are looking for new partners to keep up with their rivals.

Ineos won seven Tour de France titles between 2012 and 2019, most of them as Team Sky, but suffered its worst season in 2024.

They started the year without top talent Tom Pidcock, who left for Q36.5 in December.

“The team will move into the next cycle (starting in 2026),” said CEO John Allert. “We are very fortunate to have owners who are passionate about the sport; they are very committed to it. in sport.”

Ineos Grenadiers are owned by Ineos boss Sir Jim Ratcliffe and former Sky captain Sir Dave Brailsford, who now leads the wider Ineos Sports team, which includes nearly 30 players at Manchester United % shares.

"They get on the bike and if they don't want to be in the sport, they have a lot of opportunities to make that clear. But they do want to be in the sport," Allert added.

Ineos won just 14 races last year, with 23-year-old Spaniard Carlos Rodriguez finishing seventh in the sport's biggest race, the Tour de France.

Typically, teams win around 35-40 races in the Road Cycling World Tour calendar, which includes one-day races, stages and overall rankings.

Ineos, with an estimated budget of €36m (£30.3m), has long been regarded as one of the largest in the professional peloton, but other teams have also committed more resources to the sport in recent years. These include the Emirates Team led by Tour winner Tadej Pogacar, a so-called super team that has multiple top sponsors and pays their best riders record-breaking sums. salary.

Allert admits Ineos now needs to close the gap.

“I won’t reveal the exact number, but it’s more than what we’re currently spending.

"We certainly have a commercial strategy and this is an evolution of our strategy - we have appointed an agency to look at partnership opportunities like most other teams," the Australian said.

"I've heard some crazy rumors over the last few weeks about people buying us or investing in us or whatever - the agency is in talks with as many of the world's leading brands as possible."

Meanwhile, Allert added that Pidcock and the team were "no longer compatible" when asked about the 25-year-old's departure.

The Briton makes a surprise departure having won one of the most iconic stages of the 2022 Tour de France - Stage 12 to Alpe d'Huez - and also won in an Ineos jersey Winner of the Strade Bianche, Amstel Gold and Brabantse Pijl one-day classics. Withdrew from the final race of last season and left the team shortly afterwards.

"I think Tom's whole theme might become a book in 10 years," Allert added.

"But we're definitely moving on; we parted amicably. I have a lot of respect for Tom - he's very talented.

"I personally leave on very good terms from the last time we spoke and we wish him the best."