Geraint Thomas on Covid risks at Giro d'Italia: "Just wash your hands, stay away from people and get on with it"
Cycling
Geraint Thomas is ready for the Giro d'Italia. With Jumbo-Visma experiencing several Covid-19 cases that was among the biggest questions asked to INEOS yesterday at a press conference. Thomas expressed little concern for the risk the peloton goes through.
"What's the point of stressing about it, man? It’s the way it was last year. Obviously you have to be careful. But it is what it is," the Welshman said. "Just wash your hands, stay away from people and get on with it.” Although the pandemic has been ongoing for over three years and restrictions are mostly non-existing in Europe, cases have not stopped and testing positive leads to being sidelined from competition.
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Not only Jumbo-Visma but also Bahrain has suffered from it, with Gino Mäder admitting to be heartbroken after for the second consecutive time missing out on a Grand Tour due to a last-minute positive. Thomas is focusing on the competition and what lays ahead, he enters the race perhaps a bit undercooked due to illnesses he suffered earlier in the year, but that may come in handy in the final days of the race.
“The final week is where it’ll be won and lost. I’m used to sharing leadership and I think we can help each other (referring to Tao Geoghegan Hart who will also be in contention for the overall classification, ed.), we’re not too dissimilar in the way we ride up mountains. It’s a bit of a cliché but once we start racing, we’ll kind of know who’s got the best chance and how we can race as a team.
INEOS have a very strong team, counting on a lot of experience, raw power but also climbing depth. Four riders may stand chances to finish high in the GC and they may use a different strategy then that of the Tour of the Alps where they paced up all the stages in familiar fashion. Here, with the presence of Remco Evenepoel and Primoz Roglic, they may try to anticipate and attack early in the race to put some pressure on the duo.
“I won the Tour when I was leader with Froomey or even ranked slightly below him, then for Brad (Wiggins, ed.) and Froomey it didn’t work, and it wasn’t the best atmosphere. But for us I can’t see an issue," Thomas concluded, assuring that he does not find a problem not being the sole leader of INEOS.
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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.
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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)...
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- for what?frieders311-11-2026
- 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
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😎 Watch out for these two.. . 😎 Occhio a questi due... @INEOSGrenadiers
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