"I'm not feeling great, the doctor is monitoring me" Geraint Thomas spoke about Tom Pidcock abandoning the race with COVID-19 and his own health 🏴 #TDF2024
"I'm also not great. I've tested positive" - Geraint Thomas another INEOS rider battling Covid but continues on at 2024 Tour de France
CyclingSaturday, 13 July 2024 at 14:28
Covid is back at the 2024 Tour de France and many within the peloton are feeling the effects. INEOS Grenadiers sadly had to announce the departure of Tom Pidcock ahead of stage 14 because of the infection. Speaking ahead of the day's racing, Pidcock's teammate, Geraint Thomas admitted he is also feeling worse for wear.
"For a start, it's obviously a big, big shame to lose Tom," begins the former Tour de France winner's pre-stage 14 interview. "He felt bad this morning so it was between him and the doctor and that's what they decided to do. For me, I'm also not great. I've tested positive but I've got mild symptoms so the doctor is monitoring me closely."
With Pidcock just one of a number of big name riders to have abandoned the 2024 Tour de France through Covid including Tadej Pogacar's super domestique Juan Ayuso and Mark Cavendish's loyal leadout supremo, Michael Morkov among others, Thomas insists the doctors have a system to monitor the disease, allowing him to continue racing without continuing the cycle of transmission within the peloton. "They've got their way, their protocol so to speak to deal with respiratory infections," the Welshman explains. "At the minute, I've just got a bit of a headache and a runny nose so we'll just have to see how it goes."
With a big day in the high mountains to come on stage 14, including an ascent of the infamous slopes of the Col du Tourmalet and the Pla d'Adet, it could be a long day of struggle in the saddle for Thomas. "We'll see how the legs are," he assesses. "Certainly at the start, just get to the bottom of the Tourmalet as best as possible and then see how I feel. But, as I say it's just a bit of thick head at the moment so in every other walk of life I'd be absolutely fine. But trying to ride the Tour de France, it's a little bit different."
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- Il faut une enquête antidopage complète sur (au moins) PogacarFredoFredo07-11-2024
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- the “cloud of shame” thing has a lot to do with the cycling world’s REACTION to a doped rider, not simply whether or not they doped. merckx got caught over and over, but clearly no cloud of shame affixed by cycling culture to him. same with countless tdf champions and other legends i won’t list again at risk of belaboring the point.OCexile07-11-2024
- He was supposed to race Tour + Vuelta, but since Pogacar and Vingegaard are going there, he changed to Giro + Tour (just to try to win the yellow jersey at the 1st week and the ITT probably). Against Roglic he has a bit more chances in Italy. Press will consider him as the favourite anyways, as usual. Other contenders not to underestimate will be Ayuso and Jorgenson. Now he's just waiting to see how many kilometers the ITTs will have. to formalize his participation.Acapulco07-11-2024
- Oh look. CUD leans into another doper for commentary. Hey guys - there are other people to talk to... You know... people who didn't leave the sport in a cloud of shame...critguy07-11-2024
- Its results will mainly depend on him, though.Acapulco07-11-2024
- He needs a team fully commited where he is the lone capable of winning. In RBB there is several men who can, he would have been in competition.Acapulco07-11-2024
- agreed. and in spite of his doping, his TDF win was validated by the UCI with the mere addition of an asterisk.OCexile07-11-2024