Geraint Thomas planning to "try and take an opportunity if it comes" on key Giro d'Italia queen stage
Cycling
The queen stage of the Giro d'Italia. For those still with hope to overcome Tadej Pogacar in the fight for the Maglia Rosa, there is likely no better time to put the UAE Team Emirates leader under pressure. Sitting 2nd at the start of the day, 3:41 down is Geraint Thomas.
"It's certainly a tough day," previews the Welsh leader of the INEOS Grenadiers, who is looking to improve on his 2nd placed finish from 2023, in a pre-stage 15 interview with Eurosport. "But the next few are just as hard as well I think. It's a big day after 14 days of solid racing and the first big mountain day so it'll be interesting to see how everyone backs up. Hopefully we're on a good one."
Thomas' former INEOS Grenadiers teammate, Luke Plapp, previewed in his own pre-stage 15 interview; "In my opinion, if INEOS want a chance to win the race, today is going to be the day." So will the team attempt to put the pressure on the Slovenian on the mammoth day of mountains?
"I kind of think you've got Pog, and then there it's pretty close behind between me and Thymen Arensman. We'll just race the race, see how it is and hopefully try and take an opportunity if it comes," Thomas explains, not giving too much away of the team's plan for the stage.
In a boost to the INEOS Grenadiers momentum however, Filippo Ganna defeated Pogacar in the stage 14 individual time-trial, giving the team a second stage win of the Grand Tour so far. "He really wanted it," Thomas says of the Italian national time-trial champion. "We feel like we've been riding well, animating the race when we can and being close a few times so yeah, it's nice to get that win. Hopefully, it would be nice if I could get one at some point but we'll see."
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