As a mastermind behind the golden Team Sky year, Rod Ellingworth is one of the people who are the most in touch with Geraint Thomas and his development. According to the INEOS Grenadiers director, Thomas is on an all-time high level.
"G has done really well to bring himself up to this level. He has worked really hard, his weight is bang on. He's really on fire. To be honest with you, I think he's as good as I've ever seen him. It's really exciting to see," Ellingworth told Cyclingnews. The 36-year old sits 12th in the overall classification and will be aiming high in what may be his final final Tour de France as a contender.
"When I say the best I've ever seen him, what I mean is the entirety, just how he is, his attitude, how he is with his teammates. He's ambitious – as ambitious as he was when he was a young kid, which is pretty impressive. G was always open to discussions. You never know. You can't write G off. You never can. He's a true bike racer isn't he," he added.
After his comeback at the Tour de Suisse, the Briton has put himself back in contention for a top result at the Tour de France. Whilst the rain prevented him from taking advantage of his time-trialing skills, the upcoming cobbled stage will suit Thomas - a former classics rider by specialty - and with a Tour de France under his belt it's certain that he knows how to approach the race. INEOS have Daniel Martínez and Adam Yates as two more cards for the GC, however Thomas is a big wildcard for the weeks to come.
"I've really enjoyed working with G again this year. He's been brilliant with the young lads. He's said to me 'I've really enjoyed it as well'. My gut feeling is I don't think he enjoyed racing much last year. You just have one of them sometimes, it all feels a bit sticky, but I think he's really enjoying his bike racing again," Ellingworth concluded.
🗣️ "The start in Denmark has been a pretty amazing experience. The crowds have come out in force" - @AdamYates7 Adam moves up to 8th on GC, with @tompidcock now 10th. @GeraintThomas86 (12th) and @danifmartinez96 (22nd) also jumped up the leaderboard #TDF2022
