"I was just a bit further behind everyone else than I expected" - Geraint Thomas needs to enter "full regime" in order to catch up after disappointing Australian campaign

Geraint Thomas did not become famous for riding strongly from the early months and, in what could be his last professional season, he remains true to his training approach. That is to say we have barely heard of the 38-year-old during the eight race days in Australia and he didn't even finish the final race in Geelong.

"This has definitely been a good block of training, obviously wasn’t ideal feeling a bit crook going into Down Under," he told Cyclingnews as he hopped early into the air-conditioned team car to escape the scorching heat during the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race.

DNF next to his name wasn't what he had hoped to achieve in Australia after a lackluster Tour Down Under. "I had a dodgy stomach and a bit of a fever the night before, so suffered around a few days there. Today didn’t feel good. I was just a bit blocked. The racing hasn’t necessarily been what I’d hoped for, but still been working hard, still got out of it what I wanted."

The 38-year-old, who is expected to confirm his impending retirement in near future, didn't let the disappointing racing experience sit in his head for too long, as he explains that he had still enjoyed the campaign in Australia. "Just love coming down here," he said of his return Down Under. "We’re here three weeks before Down Under, just good, consistent training. You can come with the family and have a bit of a life off the bike as well."

Not that it's uncommon for Thomas to approach things still in the early months of a new season, but even he expected a bit more from himself. "It’s just – I knew I was going to be (lesser) – but I was just a bit further behind everyone else (than I had hoped). That’s kind of how I’ve done it the last few years. So, get back to Monaco now, head into the bunker, as I call it, and full regime for a bit. I’ll be feeling a lot better then."

Later this year, it is assumed that the Welshman, will attend the Tour de France one more time. In the era of aliens Pogacar and Vingegaard, the 2018 champion doesn't dare to think about winning, let alone riding for the GC, but as he says "it’s still the biggest bike race in the world, so I think it’s good to go there", even as a helper for one of his younger INEOS Grenadiers teammates.