"Grand Tour number 20 and they definitely don’t get any easier" - Geraint Thomas full of jokes during the first rest day
Cycling
This Giro d'Italia must bring the experienced Geraint Thomas something from both ends of the emotional spectrum. Objectively speaking the third position before first rest day is not a failure.
The man who'll celebrate 38th birthday in the third week of the Italian grand tour can be happy about his level that brought him to provisional third place overall, despite a somewhat disappointing time trial on Friday.
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On the other hand, it must be massively demoralizing to be condemned to only fight for second place in the general classification, with Maglia rosa Tadej Pogacar who seemingly effortlessly won the latest mountain sprint at Prati di Tivo.
"Not a bad race so far then. One week down, and a long way to go... The boys have been on fire. Grand Tour number 20 and they definitely don’t get any easier. Pleasure to be battling at the sharp end of things. We’ll continue to give it everything," Thomas summed up in X post.
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Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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Not a bad race so far then. One week down, and a long way to go… The boys have been on fire 🔥🙏 Grand Tour number 20 and they definitely don’t get any easier. Pleasure to be battling at the sharp end of things. We’ll continue to give it everything 👌💪🇮🇹 #Giro
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