Geraint Thomas is an ever-vocal voice in the peloton and whilst preparing for the Tour de France, he has discussed some of the most lively topics regarding INEOS Grenadiers and the Tour itself.
"Things are going well here. We've been here for about ten days now, and we're working towards the Tour," Thomas said in an episode of the Watts Occuring podcast. He is currently training al altitude in the French Alps together with INEOS Grenadiers teammates, preparing for the Grand Boucle. After finishing the Giro d'Italia in third place, the veteran took some rest and set his sights on the Tour, where he is expected to be a domestique in a team with Carlos Rodríguez, Egan Bernal and who knows... Tom Pidcock.
"Egan unfortunately lost the podium on the last day, but it was a good effort from him," Thomas said of his teammate's performance at the Tour de Suisse. "And Tom [Pidcock], he came sixth. That was good to see. He started well and kept getting better, looked good. That streak of getting better every day is a good sign."
INEOS were very active in Suisse, which matched the team's performance at the Criterium du Dauphiné where Rodríguez won the final stage and finished fourth in the overall classification; whilst in a supportive role Laurens de Plus also rode himself to a fifth spot. Thomas complemented a former teammate for the victory in Suisse: "The dominance in Switzerland... I thought it was great to see Yatesie (Adam Yates, ed.) win. And [João] Almeida was a real surprise to me."
Thomas talked about another former teammate, Mark Cavendish, who raced and completed the mountainous Swiss race and is aiming for an history-changing win at the Tour de France. "He doesn't have to finish the Tour. He has to win once. The end of the Tour is ridiculously hard. He just needs confidence. Why don't you go to Switzerland?"
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Lastly the duo argued about the changes the UCI is implementing ahead of the Tour, including an increase in the 3-kilometer rule which will now be 5 kilometers (the times on sprint stages will be taken 5 kilometers away from the finish line, instead of 3, as a way to decrease stress in the sprints). There will also be restrictions on race radios and earpieces, alongside a yellow card system which may punish riders for dangerous behaviour.
"The experiment with the radios alone will take away a lot of stress," Thomas believes. "The teams that are smart, invest in the route and prepare it and plough with a strong team spirit will benefit from this. Quite different, isn't it?'
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