"Just giving it out to people on Twitter? Get a life" - Geraint Thomas lashes out at social media critics of INEOS Grenadiers' Giro tactics
CyclingFriday, 10 May 2024 at 12:51
Geraint Thomas has been arguably Tadej Pogacar's strongest competitor in the early portion of the 2024 Giro d'Italia. Online however, there has been some criticism of the INEOS Grenadiers tactics, something Thomas took issue with on the latest episode of his Watts Occurring podcast.
"I was on the massage table yesterday with Marko, and I ended up clicking on X (Twitter), and the first thing to pop up was this dude – I won't mention his name because I don't want to give him any extra hits – and he's just bagging the team, like 'Why are INEOS riding now? They're just doing UAE's job'," Thomas rants in conversation with his teammate and compatriot, Luke Rowe on their podcast. "When you're at the front, you can control the speed, you know you've only got two or three guys in front of you, rather than 50. There's just less things that can go wrong, isn't there? That was the plan. That's what we did."
Clearly annoyed by the comments, Thomas blasts the social media critics as 'numpties'. "There are so many people who are like, 'Ah Pog's winning. Pog's going to do this, do that. Why are they even doing this? Blah, blah, blah,'" he continues. "And it's like, guys, have you ever done anything in your life that's really pushed you to the extreme, that you've really committed to and given everything to, and not been scared of failing? Or do you just go about your mundane life, in your mundane job, just giving it out to people on Twitter? Get a life, you know what I mean?"
"Everyone here knows that Pog is a phenomenal rider, but you've still got to try," the former Tour de France winner, who sits second in the GC of the 2024 Giro d'Italia at time of writing. "You've still got to come here and give it your best. Everyone gets here in the best shape they can and tries to get the best result. Knocking people just because they're not winning, or they're not beating this phenomenal guy… Give over. Get a life."
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- Lafay is the classic example of you get a great TDF stage win, get a lucrative contract and then you dont perform ever again, due to partying or injuries.abstractengineer09-05-2025
- I think it’s pretty weird under the circumstances and won’t be surprised if one day we discover some unmentioned detail that triggered this. In the meantime, hope he finds himself elsewhere.Mistermaumau08-05-2025
- Reusser is amazing too. More than just a TT specialist.mobk08-05-2025
- Tough to beat her on the long climbs if she has a team that will bring her fresh to the bottom of the climbsmobk08-05-2025
- Er, building up a 20 second gap in less than a km against the best is not exactly nothing, must have been at least 10% faster. Peletons also reel in breakaways but if they don’t manage BEFORE the end the reeling in doesn’t really mean much does it. She did exactly the right think, destroyed the others’ chances of catching her with a massive attack.Mistermaumau08-05-2025
- Demi must be so happy to now be on a team that works for her, and not against her. I think that if she and the team get their tactics dialed in, she could prove to be unstoppable this year.
santiagobenites08-05-2025 - I wouldn't call 24 seconds destroyed. At the end she was suffering and Reusser was slowly reeling her backabstractengineer08-05-2025
- I dont expect much from them top 5 maybeabstractengineer08-05-2025
- G does not strike me as a tactical support but more of a strategic one. His tactics were follow train and opponents and sprint at the endabstractengineer08-05-2025
- These pro forma statements, always the same, no wonder most people don’t get enthusiastic about follow cycling in depth.Mistermaumau08-05-2025
Says the man giving it out to fellow cyclists from the safety of his own podcast
Ok, this is hilarious
Geraint obviously has a lot of spare time during his Giro, if he has nothing better to do than read through comments on twitter. And he’s still doing the podcast?
Not going to change a thing so is the reason his rant is public and mentions the podcast to attract attention?
It always amazes me how many cycling fans, followers, and critics have a better understanding of what race tactics Geraint Thomas and his Ineos Grenadiers team should be using. I had no idea that there were so many clever tactical experts out there! 😆😉
Erm, the fact that in a team that is not dictatorial the tactics are often discussed at long and at large with many differing POVs and that since time immemorial for all team sports, the fact that many in the past got it blatantly wrong by going down when they shouldn’t have, the fact that obvious winners aren’t always, the fact that even amateurs often correctly predict who will do what when and the fact that any fan constantly observes and learns and gains a certain amount of experience of what works or not and how kind of shows that everybody and anybody can add their 2 cents and it is not unhealthy for that to be discussed, especially if it doesn’t take up any important or busy people’s time.
Or do you prefer we discuss colour of clothes all day?
PS why on earth are you limiting this to GT and Ineos, are younsaying he gets preferential attention, and then when, in general or in this specific race?