It was a grandstand finish to @LeTour's #SaitamaCriterium, with @GeraintThomas86 taking third place in Japan 🥉🇯🇵 Check out the final kilometre 👊
Geraint Thomas to ride Giro d'Italia following Tour de France reveal - "I think it's disappointing"
CyclingMonday, 07 November 2022 at 11:33
Geraint Thomas is no stranger to time-trials, and when choosing his target in the final season of his career, the INEOS Grenadiers rider is very clearly favouring the Giro d'Italia followed the reveal of a climber-focused Tour de France.
"I'm not too sure why they've done that. When I did my first Tour in 2007 – OK, it was a long time ago – it had two TTs of 50km plus, so it's quite extreme to go the other way like that," Thomas told Cyclingnews in an interview before the Saitama Criterium. A former winner of the race in 2018, Thomas has always been a strong time-trialist over the last decade and has widely benefited from his specialty.
Although his advantage has been neutralized in the last few years in comparison to the likes of Jonas Vingegaard, Primoz Roglic, Tadej Pogacar and Remco Evenepoel, he has still used it at this year's Tour, where he bounced back to finished on the podium in third position, after also winning the Tour de Suisse with a strong performance in the final time-trial.
"Those TT days are big iconic stages as well. This year there were only three big bunch sprints, which are iconic stages as well. Maybe they're just trying to mix it up completely. I think it's disappointing there's not more," he continued.
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With only 22 kilometers of time-trial in the 2023 route, mostly mountainous, there will be virtually no space for the strong time-trialists to take advantage, unlike the Giro d'Italia which features almost 70 kilometers of ITT spread throughout three different days. Riding the Giro, if he ambitions fighting for the GC, is the obvious decision for the 36-year old.
"That's what I was thinking anyway. The Giro is a lot less intense - just the atmosphere and everything. I'd like to ride it another time. It's a race I've always enjoyed, even if I've crashed out the last two times I've done it. It would be nice to go back and finish it," he hints. His final season on the road, he should have a leading role if he shows the same form as this summer.
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"In 2020 I felt in really good shape. Even one before that with the motorbike parked on the road (2017 crash at Blockhaus)... I really would have loved to have seen how I'd have done." 2023 may be his year, as he will attempt once again a result in Italy.
"How I treat it would just be to get to the Giro as best I can. Whether that ends up being going for stages or riding GC, that's a different matter. But I'd really like to do the Giro. It'll be similar to the Tour this year – just get there in the best shape and go from there," he concluded.
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