A good hit-out there on stage 13 at the #Giro Great to see the boys riding hard together 🙌 A big bunch sprint means it's status quo on GC. @GeraintThomas86 and @ThymenArensman hold station ahead of tomorrow's TT.
Geraint Thomas and INEOS test Pogacar in Giro's crosswinds: "We thought we’d try and see what happened"
CyclingSaturday, 18 May 2024 at 10:46
Stage 13 of the Giro d'Italia on the results sheet looks to have been a regular flat stage with a regular sprint, but it was far from it. The winds played a role on the day and briefly, INEOS Grenadiers put pressure on all their GC rivals in the strong crosswinds that were felt.
This happened with 62 kilometers to go. Thomas was very much keen on testing out his rivals outside of the climbs: “We talked on the radio, and we said ‘let's just do it.’ It was good to get stuck in and have a go," Thomas said in a post-race interview. "There was a bit of wind and some open sections going into the corners, so we thought we’d try and see what happened."
The race split, with stage winner being among those who were caught out in the split. A few minor GC contenders were caught out but eventually the damage was not too much. INEOS put in resources to keep it going, but the move was ultimately not worth continuing after around 25 kilometers to go even with the support of a few other teams.
“It did split, and there was a small group, but it wasn’t quite in the right direction," he described. "And all the main GC guys were there, too. If the road changed direction again if we half-roaded it, and if there were a few more corners, it could have split again if someone got complacent, but it eventually settled down.”
At the end of the day, Thomas was once again present at the head of the peloton into the final kilometers, avoiding crashes, and crossed the finish line alongside the peloton with the same time on the clock.
Tomorrow's time-trial will be an important day for the Welshman; specially taking into consideration that he struggled last week on a day where he was expected to make the difference to his main rivals: “Hopefully, it’s a bit better than the last one. The TT is a big day. We’ll do our pacing strategy; try to stick to that as much as we can see where we end up.”
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