"I was screaming to him, ‘swap bikes’" - Thymen Arensman retains 6th on GC despite late mechanical on stage 18 at Giro d'Italia
CyclingFriday, 24 May 2024 at 10:40
Heading into the final weekend of the 2024 Giro d'Italia, Thymen Arensman remains 6th in the general classification despite a late scare as he suffered an ill-timed mechanical with just 8km to go on stage 18, with a frantic chase back on then ensuing.
“I think that I hit a glass or a stone or something. I had a puncture and at one point I was just riding on the rim but the team did a really good job,” the 24-year-old Dutchman reflected with relief in conversation with GCN at the finish line, in his post-stage interview.
Thankfully, Arensman was able to get back into the peloton safely, thanks in part to the quick help provided to him by INEOS Grenadiers teammate, Connor Swift. “I’m riding on Connor’s bike right now because we almost have the same bike size, so we just swapped. Then Jhonatan Narváez did a super good job bringing me back," Arensman recalls. "I was only a bit scared because I know that Connor is using different brakes, and they’re flipped, so I was a bit scared in the final but in the end, I managed to stay in the bunch so it was all good. I was screaming to him, ‘swap bikes’ because it was the fastest thing to do.”
Even having successfully managed the swap and latched onto the back wheel of the Ecuadorian National Champion, Arensman also saw his GC dream come crashing down again as he was forced into evasive action to narrowly avoid being clipped on the back wheel by a neutral service vehicle. “I have no idea what the guy was doing, and he had no idea that I was there," Arensman says of the scare. "If it was once centimetre and I was done."
Going into the final three stages, Arensman's main target, aside from helping Geraint Thomas secure a podium, will be to overcome Antonio Tiberi in the race for the Best Young Riders jersey. The Dutchman currently trials the Italian by 41 seconds.
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- Jonas is a great rider but only rides stage races so i would have to say he & Mads are about equal now. Stage racing in general is overvalued i think... (vs the power required to win one day races)Xrider5113-05-2025
- Jonas only does stage raXrider5113-05-2025
- First goats and now great danes, all we need now is a showdown at the tour of turkey, that could maybe slide into grease. Sorry, always happens when I get tired.Mistermaumau13-05-2025
- I think this kind of thing will become quite common in future in light of the way pros have had to up their game and risk-taking. Means more precarity but also a bigger pool.Mistermaumau13-05-2025
- Its difficult to compare the two, since both are fundamentally different as cyclists. Jonas is essentially a stage racer, whereas Mads excels in classics as well as in sprint stages at GTs. At this point of time, Jonas with his two Tour wins, beating Pogacar no less, has the better credentials. If Mads wins a few monuments and some Points Jerseys, the comparison may be closer.Cooldude13-05-2025
- I thought he did quite well in that team if not for the illnesses and strings of bad luck.
KerisVroom13-05-2025 - For his sacrifice, he was rewarded with nice haircut by his team lead. It's heartwarming to see a team lead who appreciates his domestique.KerisVroom13-05-2025
- Have you gone Mads? Jeez, this is the Giro, and apart from there being other races and riders not participating, there are over 150 riders with plots and subplots, including a thing called the GC for which I doubt VERY much he’ll come into contention. Are there no other stories or topics to propose currently? Does every article have to include MP? Comparisons to Wout, to Danes, how hell fare on every single stage. Soon Pogi will start feeling like he’ll have to do some publicity stunt to become relevant again. How about updating us on how his UCI ranking is evolving with all the frenzy?Mistermaumau13-05-2025
- I wonder if Mads' resurgence has something to do with Lidl-Trek electing to go with Jonathan Milan for Tour de France, thereby relegating Mads to the Giro and missing TDF for the first time in his career. The way he's performing now, he looks like he's out to prove he's still viable as top gun.FredMan13-05-2025
- Let's not forget that Pedersen won the Worlds in Yorkshire in true North of England conditions which are hell basically, when it's bad..
leedorney12-05-2025
Could be much worse than that
All’s well that ends well.
Firstly, I don’t understand (apart to create discussion) why these clips always start later than what is needed to get an appreciation of the situation (and I’m not going to search for it).
But, from what we see, it’s just unlucky, they were next to each other and at exactly the moment TA heads right to overtake, the guy has to swerve left because the car in front of him to the right is in the way. Need to see earlier footage to see who came from where and decide who shouldn’t have done or seen what.
As for TA’s worries, I’m surprised he/they/teams in general don’t train for such situations, it’s like triathletes not training their switches.