'There are more opportunities to race aggressively' – New Ineos Grenadiers ethos earns Thymen Arensman his first win for the team

In his third year with the team, Thymen Arensman took his first win in Ineos Grenadiers colours on stage 4 of the Tour of the Alps, soloing to victory and the race lead in a move characteristic of the team's more aggressive style in 2025. 

Although the Dutchman has been consistent in stage racing during his tenure with the British team, it has been more steady performances rather than big wins, but Thursday marked a different type of ride. 

Following Arensman's hard-fought third place overall at Paris-Nice, and nine wins already this season for Ineos Grenadiers, it's clear to see how a different approach is paying off for the team.

"I think we already communicated over the winter that we were going to race a bit differently and more aggressive, and I think this is another example of it," Arensman said after his stage 4 victory.

"There are more opportunities in the team for everyone to just race aggressively, including the leaders, so that's why I went for it. We are a bit more open to attacks, I think. It can bring really nice things like today, but it can also be a risk, because it was a big risk that I took, but in the end, it's nice to race like this."

Arensman's move was not just a random attack, there was a plan behind it, but it was still a more tenacious move than Ineos have perhaps been known for. The plan to put Arensman in a position to attack worked, and then it was just up to him to commit to a big effort. 

"The first part of my attack was a bit planned, because we had Kim Heiduk in the break and we wanted somebody to be in the break," Arensman explained. 

"And then after the really cold first descent, Lidl-Trek lit it up, so only a small GC group was left. Then we started attacking, and I felt like I was feeling pretty good, and also the slopes were a bit less steep, so good for me as a bit of a heavier climber. So I just bridged across to Kim, and I told him to ride hard to put pressure on the other GC guys.

"When I saw that [the peloton] came a bit closer and I still felt like I had some good legs, I guess, so I tried again to put some more pressure on the GC guys and make them more tired for the final, but then I was alone. Then I just committed, I just went for it, sent it."

It's perhaps surprising to note that Arensman hadn't won individually with Ineos before Thursday, as he's had such strong GC results with the squad after a move from Team DSM, but his evolution as a rider has perhaps been more steady than it appears. 

"Yeah, really nice actually," he said of his progression within the British squad. "In 2023, I came to the team and it was all a bit new and I was learning from the best riders in the world, from G, doing the Giro straight away with G and learning from him, and already getting sixth place was really special," he said. 

"Now, over the years, the team let me do my thing and improve year by year, and they have confidence in me and they have trust in me, and it's super nice to pay them back with this win. And hopefully many more will follow, and a nice Giro will follow now."

Before the Giro, however, Arensman has the not-too-small task of trying to defend his green leader's jersey on the final stage of the Tour of the Alps and hold off a motivated Michael Storer (Tudor Pro Cycling), who's only 11 seconds down after a valiant attempt to save his lead on stage 4.

As the Dutchman admitted, the punchy climbs on stage 5 – and the first three stages here – suit him less than Thursday's longer, harder efforts, but he raced this exact stage three years ago, attacking with none other than Storer and Romain Bardet to secure third overall, so he has the benefit of experience.

"If I could look into the future, it would be really nice, of course, but I can't really predict what will happen tomorrow, what kind of plan Tudor have or whatever," he said. "I think in the end, maybe a bit like the same as 2022, it will happen on the last climb, that's maybe the most realistic scenario. Then the legs will decide. We will see on the last climb, and it's all about the legs and going full gas to the finish."