The INEOS Grenadiers are delighted to announce that Thymen Arensman will take the next step in his exciting career with our team – which he describes as a ‘dream’.
The 22-year-old Dutchman, fresh from a stage win and sixth overall at the Vuelta a Espana, has signed a two-year contract.
Following an impressive time trial victory earlier this season at the Tour of Poland, where he finished second on the general classification, he went a step further by impressively winning the queen stage of Vuelta a Espana atop the Sierra Nevada in September.
2022 has seen Arensman’s star rapidly rise; he’s secured excellent results at the Vuelta, Giro d’Italia, Tour de Romandie, Tour of the Alps and Tirreno-Adriatico.
The 22-year-old sees himself as a versatile rider and he will now look to take the next big step in his career as a Grenadier: “I decided to join the INEOS Grenadiers because the team really feels like the best step for me at this point of my career. It’s really my dream team and when I was younger I was always really impressed by watching the team ride on the front and take races on. To get the opportunity to ride for the same team is a dream come true.
“My ambition is to develop myself more as a rider and human. I feel I can still make steps in the crucial disciplines for riding a GC: time trial and climbing and there is no better place to improve those skills than this team. It would also be great for me to join this team and meet a lot of cycling’s biggest stars. It will be a great learning experience for me.”
Following what he describes as an incredible experience winning at La Vuelta, Arensman said: “I would describe myself as a powerful rider. I like long efforts on a high power, time trials and long ascents. I am not the most explosive or punchy rider but am also really improving in that aspect. I do also like Classics, having come third in Paris-Roubaix U23 as a first year, perhaps because of my cyclocross background. I hope to become a more versatile rider while improving my strengths!
“One of the biggest reasons for me joining this team is a question that my parents asked me: ‘What team did you look up to as a little kid and dreamed about riding for?’ The INEOS Grenadiers is the answer. Together with all the knowledge, resources and people in the team my choice was made and it really feels like the correct step in my career.”
“He will bring a style of riding which fits completely into what we are looking to achieve going forward, and having already tasted success at the very top ensures that we have a rider who will add significant depth to the INEOS Grenadiers of the future.”