Ineos Grenadiers signs Sam Welsford: "Still much to discover"

Australian sprinter Sam Welsford has signed a two-year contract with INEOS Grenadiers. After his departure from Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe, Welsford was already linked to Dave Brailsford’s team this summer, but it took until now for the deal to be officially confirmed.

It was Irish cycling journalist Daniel Benson who first linked Welsford to INEOS Grenadiers last summer. When several internal changes occurred within the team, including the return of Dave Brailsford and the appointment of Geraint Thomas as 'Director of Racing', it seemed the deal had fallen through. Welsford was then mentioned as a potential successor to Dylan Groenewegen at Jayco AlUla, but ultimately he has ended up joining the British WorldTeam.

Welsford will be given every opportunity as a sprinter at INEOS Grenadiers. Team leader Elia Viviani will work closely with him. "We haven’t had many sprinters in the team in the past, but when we did, they were quite successful, so hopefully Sam can continue that history," said Geraint Thomas. "Now that we’ve seen early what he’s physically capable of, we believe there is still a lot to discover with Sam. The team has shown how good we are at positioning our fast riders for the finish, and we will do the same to give him chances to win."

Welsford himself had a challenging season despite a strong start with three stage wins at the Tour Down Under. “I feel like this is exactly the right environment for me to continue developing as a sprinter and to pursue big results. I’m really looking forward to contributing, learning, and racing with the intent this team is known for,” he commented.