"I was screaming to him, ‘swap bikes’" - Thymen Arensman retains 6th on GC despite late mechanical on stage 18 at Giro d'Italia
Cycling
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.
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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- I get the point totally. We live in the snowflake society where some riders forget they are getting paid to ride and get results. When they have a few issues they try to look outside of the real issue instead of themselves. It odd so many of the team are making no complaints and getting on with their job. If you do not like what you do find another job simples. Tough love as my mum would say.paultryan200207-11-2026
- many people advise him to grow slowly and rather do giro and/or vuelta instead of tdf. but i can totally understand that he is not satisfied with taking over once pogi declines, but instead beat him in his prime. so if he goes for tdf again, i‘m all for it. let‘s hope that pogi recovers soon!Ketterechts07-11-2026
- So gracious to offer something no-one would be prepared to pay for. The Giro is not the Tour and doesn’t command the same interest or attract the same “elite” (those willing to pay to be a part of something they consider has ego boosting potential). Roadside viewing will always largely remain free for everyone outside circuits. Introduction of a symbolic entrance to mountain climbs is worthy of exploration. Asking 1-2€ isn’t going to repulse real fans (most will spend 50-100€ on their outing that day all things included) but will prevent a portion of the total knobhead thrillseekers who will join in any large gathering as long as it’s free, just because they’re attracted to crowds, without which it it difficult for them to work up their anti-social behaviour.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- How is radio going to help when someone went over a cliff or bridge or off the roadside into a forest unnoticed and is laying there unconscious?Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- Yep, next we’ll be accusing F1 drivers of avoiding Le Mans.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- But on what is that opinion based? Are you holding him to a different standard than others? Are you saying he should do learn to like something he doesn’t Are you saying he hasn’t achieved enough Are you saying he pretends to be better than his results? It’s actually a really strange opinion to oust if you consider it objectively or rationally. Try applying it to others or yourself by asking if not EVERYONE should then be doing more? Nobody in athletics or swimming gets criticism for not expanding their repertoire when a rival or someone else does. In fact, most who move to another event get accused of running from their rival. Opinions are boring, the reasons behind them are what count.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- for a medical chief to throw things like is just bad. There are already radios which were banned for spectacle. allow radios. Gps trackers are not a complete solutionabstractengineer07-11-2026
- any rider less than 25 whether they are really ready for the position of leadership of GT is probably not the case. I think Pogi himself suffered when he was defeated by Jonas in the TDF twice. But that would be the team's job to ensure support so that they can bounce back. It requires a team and time to get back up and win after getting knocked down.abstractengineer07-11-2026
- I'm very glad he got the big late Quickstep Vuelta win and I hope he has a few left for Euskaltel-Euskadi.flyer07-11-2026
- My memories of Ivan Basso aren't good but I liked his sister Elisa ok.flyer07-11-2026
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Mamma mia che rischio per Thymen Arensman 😱 L'olandese della Ineos rischia di essere colpito dall'ammiraglia nel tentativo di rientrare in gruppo a causa di problema tecnico alla sua bici 🚗🚴 #EurosportCICLISMO #Ciclismo #Cycling #GirodItalia
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