Geraint Thomas shares thoughts on Mark Cavendish, new UCI rules, Egan Bernal and Tom Pidcock ahead of Tour de France
Cycling
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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Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
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- He is boring
leedorney08-11-2026 - To Twoje przemyślenia te bla, bla :)
Dariusz08-11-2026 - Uwielbiam patrzeć, jak wyjeżdża na czoło peletonu i zaczyna się rzeź...Dariusz08-11-2026
- Yeah, unreal.
parisbound0008-11-2026 - there needs to be space in life for pointless comments!Ketterechts08-11-2026
- That is a very lazy way of putting it but so far on this website it seems like everyone is happy to look at everything lazily, even things that annoy them intensely. All they want to do is state their feeling and position but ask most to analyse a problem or come up with solutions or improvements and you’re stunned by silence. Nobody even really knows how this all happens. It’s very simple and quick to just say the UCI did it but I bet you they didn’t, I bet you not more than 2 people were involved, more likely just 1. The UCI may be ultimately responsible but it is not their decision, this is about hierarchy, power and delegation. The fact that protest is possible also means it isn’t over and that MORE people could get involved for a thorough review which could throw up anything. It is highly likely it was a sole commissar who decided and has that power in a first round. Therein might lie the problem the UCI has to consider, is it acceptable to give so much authority to one single person when it is quite possible for them to have a natural bias or be too easily susceptible to imposed bias. Who is to say an individual in this position isn’t susceptible to collaboration with outside players with interests in the results, nations, families, teams, betting companies, etc. On the one hand we have sports where these problems have been worked on way more to reduce such problems, on the other hand we have sports with far stricter and more draconian rules not even concerning safety or obstruction that nobody really questions like false starts or stepping out of lane or zones in athletics. If cycling hastowork on itself, it would be good if protagonists (all kinds) would start doing a little more than just moaning over outcomes.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- Yes, so why not make comments less pointless?Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- What a race! I didn't expect Vanthourenhout to collapse like that, and Wyseure did take the fight to Nys, but there was no doubt at the end. I also wonder what Aubin Sparfel would be capable of were he to race in the elites now. In the U23 ranks he is making good work of Giel Lejeune, who himself is among the better riders in the elites, and a top 10 contender in the big races (3rd at Kleebergcross, 8th at Berencross and 5th at Heerderstrand). In the French Cup, Sparfel is significantly better than Romain Debord (8th at Koppenbergcross and 10th at the Euros) and Rémi Lelandais (12th at Koppenbergcross and 19th at the Euros).
Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026 - There really was nothing in it. Schreiber was so much faster, and Brand was fighting to stay in the wheel in the sprint. Schreiber did move a bit, but to say she closed the door doesn't make sense because Brand couldn't enter it anyway, abd she wasn't impeded.Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026
- He should have been allowed to go to Movistar. Right now both arent a good fit for each other and are just wasting each other's time and effortabstractengineer08-11-2026
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