Geraint Thomas certain that INEOS can challenge Evenepoel and Roglic at Giro d'Italia: "It’ll be hard to beat them but it’s not impossible."
Cycling
INEOS Grenadiers come as outsiders for the Giro d'Italia. The warm-up at the Tour of the Alps was perfect as they dominated the race and Tao Geoghegan showed his best level ahead of the Corsa Rosa. Geraint Thomas is confident that the British team is capable of challenging Primoz Roglic and Remco Evenepoel.
“It’ll be hard to beat them but it’s not impossible. They’re two quality bike riders and amongst the best in the world in the last few years. But we’ll definitely go into the Giro with the belief that we can beat them," Thomas told Cyclingnews. “Grand Tours are about the long game and the Giro is definitely not as controlled as the Tour de France. Things like the weather can be a factor. We’ve got to use all our experience as a team and me as an individual to try to beat them.”
Thomas, who has ridden 17 Grand Tours in his career, knows a lot about how to prepare and ride across three weeks, having taken a victory in one in the past too. Sickness, crashes, poor feeding or recovery are all factors that can turn the race on it's head every single day. “That’s the great thing about the sport at the moment, there’s a lot of guys who can perform and potentially be on the Giro podium," the Welshman believes.
"At the end of the day I’m not worried about who are or aren’t the favourites and this and that. I'm just worried about myself and I’ll try to be competitive and be up there as I’ve done in the past." Thomas only completed the Giro twice back in 2008 and 2012 before being a Grand Tour contender - both his attempts in 2017 and 2020 have ended in disaster, as he abandoned both.
However INEOS are much more than just the Welshman. After a very strong spring, 2020 winner Tao Geoghegan Hart consolidates himself as a very strong contender for the pink jersey, whilst the team also has young talent Thymen Arensman, Pavel Sivakov who has also been having a strong spring, and within the supporting crew also the likes of Filippo Ganna and Laurens de Plus.
“We've also got a strong team, with Thymen [Arensman] and Pavel [Sivakov] alongside a solid core. Tao [Geoghegan Hart] obviously won in 2020 and showed his form at the Tour of the Alps. I think we can certainly be confident going in there. I’m looking forward to the Giro," Thomas concluded.
Read also
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
claps 0visitors 0
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- Blah blah blah!frieders311-11-2026
- Where Merckx just rode every single race he could and won all the time, Hinault won less often (percentage wise) because he was more judicious in what he raced. His palmares are nuts. He had amazing rivals, one to start his career and another to end it in the grand tours. His classics were solid. What sets him apart from Merckx and Pogačar are that he basically dabbled in the classics while the other two love(d) them. I used to compare Pogačar to Hinault for his grand tour record and occasional classics win, until I realized that the comparison was wrong. Pogačar loves the classics - ah, the memory of his reaction to finishing fourth in a 2 person sprint in Flanders in ‘22: utter domination in any one day race since then, even when he doesn’t win. Hinault lived for the grand tours and I don’t think anyone else will ever reach his record. 10 wins in 13 attempts? Good lord. An amazing rider. Wish there was more footage to watch.RidesHills11-11-2026
- I had no idea about that either.
santiagobenites10-11-2026 - great analysis thanks! appreciate you posting this. I didn't realize CX had a different standard for deviation. this is even more egregious it seems.mij10-11-2026
- As he isn't currently with Red Bull, I guess if he want to race for one more year he needs to find a team. He's 37 so this will be his last year I would guess, unless he wants to race for almost nothing like Froome did.awp10-11-2026
- I think some are making much ado about nothing. Even though Jonas is getting older, before his crash in the Tour, he looked like a solid 2nd all the way home. No one can really climb with Tadej until this year, Eric Mas showed himself which I think was a one off year for him and Paul Seixas has been able to be pretty close to him. Whatever stage race Jonas enters as long as Tadej is not there he is a favorite to win.awp10-11-2026
- Giro or not Giro, he won't win the Tour!MajorPayne10-11-2026
- Very true.awp10-11-2026
- Ciccone had a very strong end of season. Consistently attacking and livening up races. Hope he makes that last leap in progress and starts notching some significant wins. Great rider to watch.Occam10-11-2026
- Me too!!!!!Occam10-11-2026
Loading
Write a comment