"It's always been the least of my worries, coming here" - Geraint Thomas plays down safety concerns at Tour Down Under after mass crash injures spectator

At the Down Under Classic last week, a mass crash saw a spectator left with a serious injury. Despite the concerns raised by the incident, INEOS Grenadiers star Geraint Thomas, insists there will be no major safety issues at the Tour Down Under.

The final corner was only a few hundred meters away from the finish line at the Down Under Classic, and the corner was taken at very high speeds with a lot of proximity between riders. A fall took place, and due to the speeds a few riders were unable to avoid hitting the barriers. In a fan-recorded video, it was possible to see a few spectators on the other side of the barriers were knocked down due to the impact. It wasn't inconsequential either, with as mentioned, one woman having to be taken to the hospital.

"On Saturday, I feel like it was completely safe," Ineos Grenadiers leader Thomas said at the pre-race media conference before his 10th Tour Down Under appearance. "The roads are always ... you go over to Italy, it's completely different, some of the roads you race on there. This race is one of my favourites and it's always been the least of my worries, coming here."

In fact, the main issue the Welshman had during the race was his own lack of racing fitness at the start of the new season. "My only issue on Saturday, I thought my heart was going to come out of my chest," the former Tour de France champion adds with a wry smile. "Such a bloody hard race."

"In my opinion, the track was very safe. Unfortunately, accidents happen in bike racing ... but of course, we will look at things as we go along," commented race director Stuart O'Grady on the incident. "As race director, I feel real personal heartache when riders have accidents and to see a spectator who's come here for our great event, to get injured, that hurts me more than anybody. Safety is my priority. Cycling is a dangerous sport"