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"

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."

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.

Article written by Victor Gonzalez.