"I would rather be the best teammate of the Giro than finish in the top 10" - For Laurens de Plus the goal is clear
Cycling
At the start of stage 19 of the 2023 Giro d'Italia, the INEOS Grenadiers have Geraint Thomas in the Maglia Rosa with Thymen Arensman and Laurens de Plus also in the top 10. De Plus however is more than willing to sacrifice his position to help his team leader.
"I'm not concerned with that. I would rather be the best teammate of the Giro than finish in the top 10," said the 27-year-old Belgian prior to the start of the nineteenth stage. "As a team it is incredibly difficult to win a Grand Tour. I have been close to it several times in the past."
Although Thomas may be a former Tour de France winner and even finished alongside Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard on the podium of the Tour last year, he celebrated his 37th birthday on Thursday, meaning his opportunities at winning another Grand Tour are running out.
"This may be the last general classification ever for Thomas. He will give everything today and tomorrow," says de Plus. "It would be a dream to win this Giro with Thomas."
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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🗣️ "It’s the queen stage. It’s going to be a tough one. Hopefully we can keep riding as we have been." @GeraintThomas86 knows what it's all about. As expected we've seen a rapid start to stage 19 as a break tries to form #Giro
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