💥 We're expecting a frantic start at the #Giro with the new Cima Coppi awaiting the riders within the first 10 kilometres. DS Oli and @tobias_s_foss give their run down of the day ⤵️
"No" - Geraint Thomas denies he gave Thymen Arensman green light to not wait for him on Giro d'Italia stage 16
CyclingWednesday, 22 May 2024 at 15:00
Geraint Thomas was one of the more notable casualties of the shortened, rain-affected stage 16 at the 2024 Giro d'Italia, losing considerable time to his rivals and dropping from 2nd to 3rd in the general classification in the process.
Notably, despite Thomas clearly struggling, the Welshman's INEOS Grenadiers teammate, Thymen Arensman opted not to wait and support his leader, instead battling on with White Jersey rival, Antonio Tiberi on the final climb instead. "The team told us we had to climb the climb as quickly as possible," reflected the Dutchman post-stage 16.
When asked by Eurosport ahead of the start of stage 17 on Wednesday morning, whether or not he had given his young teammate the go ahead to fight for himself on the final climb, "No," Thomas responded bluntly yet firmly. "It might have been better if Thymen had waited, but still. It was such a short climb, it only took a few minutes. It wouldn't have made much difference anyway. It was only a few seconds.”
Having lost time, and now finding himself on the back foot in the race for second however, Thomas might be out to prove a point on another mountainous day on stage 17. “I feel better now than yesterday. I hope things get better again. If there is an opportunity to take back second place in the GC, I will definitely try," concludes the 37-year-old. "If the legs are good, I definitely want to attack. But that is easier said than done.”
Arensman meanwhile, starts the day 6th in the general classification, just 24 seconds off Antonio Tiberi in the race for the White Jersey in the Best Young Rider classification. Whilst the Maglia Rosa is completely out of sight barring a miracle, INEOS Grenadiers still have plenty to ride for at a Grand Tour that has already seen them take a pair of stage wins.
Just in
Subscribe to our Daily Newsletter today!
Nov 05, 13:04
0
Popular news
Latest comments
- All pro cyclists are massively underpaid! The amount of riding and physical exertion they put their bodies through is crazy compared to other sports. I can't think of any other sport where you are physically active at a very high level of power output for hours on end each day.Pogboom17-11-2024
- When I was working for Starkist/Heinz my manager quit. So the next week my group was put under another manager. During our first meeting he asked if there was anything we needed to tell him. I said that I would be out the following week on vacation. He said "I don't know if I can let you go on vacation". I replied, "You can't tell if I can go. You can only tell me if I can come back".Sweep17-11-2024
- :-)Sweep17-11-2024
- What a mess there :-)
DareDevil17-11-2024 - So he read the comments here probably :-)DareDevil17-11-2024
- Alpecin is a MVDP and sprinter's team. It is unlikely that he will get a chance there as wellabstractengineer17-11-2024
- There’s no crying in cyclocross…Crashjames17-11-2024
- Pointless reporting. They are rivals, each tries their way to get their best result, with or without collaboration. As long as it’s all fair, why even report riders feelings about such stuff (yes I know, lack of other news). Anyone riding races will go through dozens of moments per race where they get emotional about the way someone else rides or takes advantage or doesn’t collaborate or more, it is natural, it is justified, it is NOT newsworthy!Mistermaumau17-11-2024
- I like that you can see you actually replied to you and not just to the same thread. :)Sweep16-11-2024
- I quite like it too, but it seems to be allergic to paragraphs.mikebeast16-11-2024