Geraint Thomas fears for Pogacar on the cobbles against Van der Poel: "His explosiveness is so good, he should actually be arrested for it"

Geraint Thomas closed the chapter on Milano-Sanremo for the final time this past weekend, finishing 71st in what turned out to be one of the most memorable editions of the race in recent years. The INEOS Grenadiers rider took part in the Classicissima for the last time, soaking in the atmosphere and spectacle of a race he has long cherished.

Speaking on his own podcast after the race, Thomas shared his thoughts on the explosive finale, which saw Mathieu van der Poel outgun Tadej Pogacar, Filippo Ganna, and the rest of the favourites to take a stunning solo victory.

"It was a great final. Filippo Ganna did everything right and he was so incredibly strong, even in the sprint. But Van der Poel was so good, that you couldn't really do anything about that. But when you saw how these three riders rode... it was so impressive, and I'm really happy for Filippo that he did so well."

Thomas, who has often ridden in support of teammates at Sanremo, marvelled at the power Van der Poel displayed on the Poggio, where the Dutchman launched the race-winning move.

"When you ride to the finish with Van der Poel, you often know that you actually have no chance. His explosiveness is so good, he should actually be arrested for it, haha. But he was also incredibly strong in the entire final, and when he attacked Pogacar at the top of the Poggio, you actually already knew enough."

While the race may not have gone his way, Thomas made a point to enjoy his last appearance at the Monument. The Welshman admitted the conditions were less than ideal, but he embraced the moment.

"It was annoying at first, because the weather was bad and it was also quite cold. But I just thought: this is my last time riding here, so I'm just going to enjoy it immensely. And I certainly did, I just enjoy the Italian fans immensely. You just feel that the people on the sidelines love the sport so much, I don't have that during the Tour de France."

Looking ahead to the rest of the spring classics, Thomas believes that Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert could prove tough to beat, even for a rider as good as Tadej Pogacar.

"If you see Van der Poel in this form, and maybe Van Aert is also in very good form, then Pogacar is going to have a very tough time in the upcoming races. The climbs are not long enough, and with the bad weather that could play a role, I see more chances for Van der Poel or Van Aert. But you never know."

Now back in stage race mode, Thomas also commented on the brutal conditions during stage 1 of the Volta a Catalunya, where relentless rain made for a challenging day in the saddle.

"What terrible weather it was," he said. "I think I've rarely suffered so much, it just wouldn't stop raining. Still, I thought it was a beautiful course, but I was very happy when I was back in my hotel room in the evening."

Thomas also took time to praise young British rider Matthew Brennan, who stunned the peloton with a solo victory on stage 1, continuing his remarkable start to the 2025 season.

"It was really very impressive. Matthew had to do so much work on his own in the final kilometres, and the fact that he managed to finish it like that is just really incredibly impressive. When I finished my first Tour, he was only one year old. It's really crazy and I think we're going to hear a lot more from him."