09/07/2024

"I can’t imagine Pog’ will get better but we'll see whether he gets much worse" - Geraint Thomas favors Jonas Vingegaard for Tour de France victory

Just like Tadej Pogacar, Geraint Thomas is attempting a Giro-Tour double for the first time in his career. But while the Slovenian who dominated the pink race a month ago is in the mix for victory in France too, the 38-year-old Welshman already dropped out of the GC in the first week.

But even without the INEOS Grenadiers captain, the GC battle is more than open after the first block of racing. While Pogacar leads the standings, Vingegaard is not so far back, trailing by 75 seconds. Who will win the Grande Boucle at the end? "I'd say Jonas," Thomas told Cyclingnews.

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Pogacar was visibly a bit strong in his acceleration, just like in previous years, which allowed him to gain some time in the Grand Colombier stage. However, Vingegaard could have greater endurance on the longer ascents, Thomas argued, which could have more impact long-term given all of the Pyrenees and most of the Alps are yet to come.

"There's a lot of long climbs in the end of the Tour as well and it won't be about the punch then, it'll be a totally different race. So from next weekend on, I think that favours Jonas, as you would expect from the progression he’ll have as well," Thomas analyzed. "I can’t imagine Pog’ will get better but whether he gets much worse - we’ll see."

"He’s still super strong, but we’ve only had one big mountain day and Jonas was close there. Pog' gained most of the time on the descent so I think it’s a lot closer than what people might think," Thomas argues.

"I think it’s going to be an interesting final week for sure. I think Pogacar is definitely no weaker and this second week suits him a lot. If anything, I’d say Pog’s going to be happy with the lead he’s got right now, but we saw what happened last year," Thomas remembers when Vingegaard overhauled the Slovenian in the final week of the Tour by a colossal margin. "So I think Visma will be quietly confident for where Vingegaard is right now."