A warm welcome for 🇸🇮 Tadej Pogacar in Ljubljana, Slovenia! #TdF2024 #Giro Next party in September with the rainbow jersey? 🎉 📸 IG: pogacarfanclub
Geraint Thomas reveals that Tadej Pogacar won't ride the Vuelta a Espana for his teammates: "He told me he has to keep people happy"
CyclingThursday, 25 July 2024 at 09:53
Geraint Thomas was one of the cyclists who combined the Giro d'Italia and the Tour de France this year, but now he is relieved that it is finally over. The INEOS Grenadiers rider will skip the Olympics, giving him time for other things after several demanding months, a break he feels he needed.
"I'm tired, but it's a nice feeling to be able to switch off a bit. Although it feels weird too, because I was immersed in it for so long," he said on his Geraint Thomas Cycling Club podcast. "But hey, it's nice. I haven't done much in the last few days. A few barbecues, a few drinks, that sort of thing. It's nice to get out of that intense cycling bubble, which is what happens in a grand tour."
"However, there is also some decompression. Everything is done to you in one big turn. Food, laundry, they tell you what time you have to leave in the morning, and so you don't have to think for yourself," Thomas explained. "Donald Trump was almost assassinated and I didn't even find out until the next day. You're in a whole different world, where it's all about that bike race."
Geraint Thomas advises Tadej Pogacar to race the Vuelta a España
Tadej Pogacar, like Thomas, also did the Giro-Tour double and felt the fatigue after those two tours, which is evidenced by his resignation from the Olympic Games. After winning the two grand tours, the Slovenian could have made history by winning the Vuelta, but decided not to participate. Thomas was curious about the reason for that choice. "I asked him in the peloton, but he said: I have to keep people happy in the team. They have so many leaders in UAE Team Emirates. I understand that."
"Participating in three grand tours at the highest level costs a lot of energy, even for Pogacar. But he could do it without any problems. I think the World Championships is his main goal," added Thomas. "And he's also given up on the Olympics. That course is somewhat similar to Glasgow. He will participate, but winning is very difficult. He probably wants to rest a little bit now and then focus on the World Championships, so I don't believe much in the protest story," referring to the fact that Pogacar's fiancée, Urska Zigart, was unable to go to the Olympics.
Read also
Article written by Victor Gonzalez.
claps 7visitors 15738
Just in
Subscribe to our Daily Newsletter today!
Nov 05, 13:04
0
Popular news
Latest comments
- "25-34 are only 13% of USA Cyclings membership" Wow. I own a bike shop, and that number comports both with what I see in the business as well as on the road and trails, but it's somehow hugely demoralizing to see it quantified. Thirteen percent?verve82519-12-2024
- What super dutch talent are we talking about?awp18-12-2024
- Yes, 25-34 are only 13% of USA Cyclings membership.awp18-12-2024
- I will take the old days when you could track your teams across 8 years. Can't imagine a new fan finding it easy.Sweep18-12-2024
- Pick better parents and/or better doping agents.
ChoppyWarburton18-12-2024 - The bike industry situation is the same as the future Dutch talent pool discussion , it’s a fakely perceived problem due to an exceptional period that’s come to an end.Mistermaumau18-12-2024
- It's all a part of the fun. Sometimes it takes a few races before you can tell who's who and what's going on.
santiagobenites18-12-2024 - Every year cycling teams force their fans to memorize the jersey colors of all the teams so you can tell which team is doing what in a race. Not like normal sports where the jersey's and numbers mostly stay the same year after year.Sweep18-12-2024
- Genetics? No, mostly PEDS. Armstrong proved that.Sweep18-12-2024
- Sadly the number of dorks is decreasing every year. In the US the vast majority are over 40 years. E-bikes are crushing the road bike market.Sweep18-12-2024