INEOS has bold plans in Vuelta for "Last man for Thomas" Arensman: "I'm lighter than ever"

Finishing sixth in the 2022 Vuelta and sixth in this year's Giro, Thymen Arensman has been consistently strong in his last two grand tours, and his ambitions have only grown since. Speaking on Thursday evening at the team presentation, the Dutch rider from INEOS Grenadiers was clear: he's also aiming for the general classification.

"We're here to win the general classification with Geraint Thomas," Arensman begins. The Welshman, who also finished second in this year's Giro, is the lead rider. "I'm also in good form, so I will try to stay with him as long as possible to support him as best I can. That will be interesting. Like in the Giro, it's good to have multiple cards to play, but G is our best card. However, if we can put pressure on with other riders, that's only a good thing. The team wants to use me as the last man for Geraint."

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Arensman appears "lighter than ever" in Vuelta

We must turn our attention to the podcast Watts Occurring, featuring Thomas in the lead role. The INEOS leader had high praise for Arensman. "He's only 23 years old but is a very dedicated young guy: sixth in last year's Vuelta and this year's Giro. That could happen again. He's really in top form right now, hopefully he hasn't pushed himself too hard. But he's definitely ready," Thomas said.

Arensman hadn't yet heard or read these comments, he told this website. However, he agrees with Thomas's words. The 23-year-old climber, who at 1.92 meters has always weighed only 68 kilos, says he's in even better shape now. "I think my form is really good. I'm lighter than ever, with the same power. Training has been going well, but training isn't racing, so we'll see."

INEOS and Arensman worked on heat and team time trial

Attention has also been paid to external factors, as Arensman has often struggled in hot conditions. This was the case this year in the opening time trial of the Giro d'Italia and subsequently at the Dutch National Championships, where he even fainted briefly. "I've worked hard on it, with heat training and a high-altitude camp in Andorra. I live there now, so that already makes a difference. I also trained in a heat chamber, which wasn't the most fun thing to do, but I've felt the benefits in the last few days."

In short, everything has been considered, including the team time trial on Saturday. INEOS aims to win it, with Filippo Ganna at the starting line. "Everyone wants to win; we're no different. We have a very strong team for a team time trial, with a few strong engines, and I am one of them. The first part is technical, so the key will be to stick together, and then in the second part, we'll kick the engine into high gear with Pippo."