Missing out on the Maglia Rosa by just 14 seconds to Primoz Roglic in 2023, Geraint Thomas will return to the Giro d'Italia in the coming weeks determined to go one better and claim a second Grand Tour win of his career.
“G does the Giro for a reason, right? or him, the Giro is still 'unfinished business' after last year's narrow defeat to Primoz Roglic," INEOS Grenadiers sports director, Zak Dempster says in conversation with Wielerflits. "With Tadej Pogacar at the start this time, it will of course be a complicated matter to win the race. As we all know, there are no gifts given in the Grand Tours. Usually, you just get what you deserve. All we can do is make sure we are ready for anything that might happen.”
Alongside their Welsh leader, the INEOS Grenadiers bring a strong team to the Giro including Filippo Ganna, Thymen Arensman, Tobias Foss, Jhonatan Narvaez, Ben Swift, Connor Swift and Magnus Sheffield. According to Dempster, the strength of this collective could by the team's biggest plus point in ensuring a positive outcome at the first Grand Tour of the season.
“Last year we also had Laurens De Plus and Thymen Arensman in the top 10, a situation that we could sometimes play with. Not only in tactical jousts, but also simply in support of the leaders," Dempster explains. "These guys actually thrive in a strong team. The more leaders, the better.”
Most notably, Arensman is seen as plan B for the INEOS Grenadiers. “We sent Thymen to the Giro through a different preparation. Very consciously. His great strength is always the third week, but if you look at the start of the Giro, it is important to be up to standard right away in a quite intense first week," Dempster explains. "That's why we thought that Romandie, which is closer to the Giro start, would be a better preparation for him.”
“Thymen has of course already been sixth in a Grand Tour twice, he already won the queen stage in the Vuelta. We have a lot of confidence in him as a Grand Tour rider within the team. He is a calm guy, talented, but not averse to hard work. These are all the ingredients that a good tour rider has," Dempster concludes. "Our plan is to keep him in the rankings and see how he can unleash his talent in the third week. His victory over Sierra Nevada seems far away, but Thymen is still very young. It is important to improve every race. Then maybe he can one day become a podium candidate. Or even more. We want to give him a platform to develop, improve his strengths and bring him to his goals in maximum form.”
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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