Geraint Thomas sees the Volta Ciclista a Catalunya as a warm-up for Giro d'Italia - "Looking forward to a great week of training and racing"

Geraint Thomas had hoped for a smooth start to the season, but his health issues after the Santos Tour Down Under prevented him from practising for the Giro d'Italia. After several modifications to his race calendar, he is now back in the peloton, participating in the Volta Ciclista a Catalunya.

Thomas regards the Spanish race as a warm-up for the grand tour. “I was a bit unhappy, but now I feel good again. I'm looking forward to a great week of training and racing. I've had quite a few ups and downs since December,” he told Lndeleiderstrui after the first stage.

He continues, “Now it's all about hard work, and I'm also going on altitude training. There is still time towards the Giro, and we will take it day by day.”

His focus in the race is not on winning but on assisting his teammates in their endeavours. “I'm certainly not riding for classification here. It is now only about race rhythm and building up as well as possible towards the Giro. We are at the start with a very strong team and we will see what we can do,” concluded Thomas. In the first stage, he secured 112nd place, and in the second stage, he came in at 30th place.