"Not my cup of tea... I'm getting old now" - Geraint Thomas struggles through opening weekend on final Tour de France

2018 Maillot Jaune Geraint Thomas is in the Tour de France of his iconic career in 2025. Although he made it clear he wasn't targeting the general classification this time around, the Welshman's first couple of days have been tough.

After seeing INEOS Grenadiers teammate Filippo Ganna abandon after a crash on stage 1 and then missing the decisive split in the finale, Thomas himself was then held up by a crash on stage 2, according to Pro Cycling Stats. Although he seemingly didn't hit the deck hard, and was quickly back up and running, it did result in more time loss, leaving the 39-year-old more than a minute off the pace after the opening weekend.

Speaking to Welsh broadcaster S4C at the end of stage 2, Thomas admitted his start hasn't been ideal. "Yeah, there was some rain at the start. Luckily it stopped and dried up, and the wind wasn't as strong as expected as well which reduced the stress, but it was not my cup of tea... I think I'm getting old now," he admits with a wry smile.

"It was stressful for most of the day, and then yeah, the last 50 - 70km it was fighting all the time," Thomas continues. "We rode well, but for my point of view, I just didn't have the legs in the last 100 metres of that steep climb. I saw that Carlos Rodriguez wasn't too far behind, so I waited for him and tried to help him limit his losses really," he concludes