Australian climber Jack Haig (Bahrain Victorious) will join INEOS Grenadiers on a two-year contract from 2026, the team confirmed in an official announcement on 8 December. The 32-year-old becomes the first major signing of Geraint Thomas’s tenure as Director of Racing, a clear signal that INEOS are doubling down on proven Grand Tour resilience.
Haig arrives with serious stage-race pedigree. He finished third overall at the 2021 Vuelta a España and has multiple top-10 general classification results at both Critérium du Dauphiné and Paris–Nice, marking him out as a steady three-week performer as well as a reliable week-long contender.
Thomas (INEOS Grenadiers) underlined that experience, framing Haig as exactly the sort of rider he wants for the new-look squad. The Welshman said he had raced “wheel to wheel” with the Australian for years and described him as “a fighter and a grafter” who knows what it takes to stand on a Grand Tour podium, adding that Haig would be a key part of what the team are planning in the coming seasons.
Haig, departing Bahrain Victorious at the end of 2025, called the move a chance to join a team he has followed since its inception. He said he was “really excited to be joining the INEOS Grenadiers” and spoke of helping the squad challenge for major wins while also supporting the younger climbers coming through.
His arrival continues a broader 2026 rebuild in Grenadier colours, following a wave of extensions for key lieutenants that we covered in our report on Kwiatkowski’s new deal. For fans, it moves Haig firmly from the realms of late-season transfer rumour into the heart of INEOS’s stage-racing project for 2026.
