Geraint Thomas was one of the losers from the first mountain clash. He had hinted for lesser good form arriving at the
Vuelta a Espana, and on the first summit finish he shed some time and took a hit in his run for the podium.
"I just didn't have it today. It didn't go well," Thomas told Eurosport. "During the first hours I felt quite okay, but on the last climb I felt I couldn't really push on. I was quite far back and had to pull out all the stops to keep from dropping.”