"Pogacar is one-of-a-kind. I think he’s the best of them all" - Geraint Thomas compares cycling's elite new guard

Now aged 37, Geraint Thomas can be considered one of the peloton's elder statesman. Having been in and around the biggest races for over 15 years though, he's seen a lot of development and change within the men competing for Grand Tour success.

The supposed new guard of cycling are the likes of Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard and Remco Evenepoel and whilst Thomas has shown he can still compete with these, finishing third at the 2022 Tour de France and second at the Giro d'Italia earlier this year, the Welshman is in awe of their qualities. “Froomy (Chris Froome ed.) was also a special guy. But Pogacar is one-of-a-kind. I think he’s the best of them all because he’s so diverse," says Thomas, lauding praise on the Slovenian in conversation with The Guardian.

But why does Pogacar stand out to Thomas, compared to two-time, back-to-back Tour de France winner Jonas Vingegaard and former Vuelta a Espana winner and two-time Rainbow Jersey wearer Remco Evenepoel. "He can do it all, from one-day racing to the Grand Tours," Thomas explains. "All three are outstanding and it’s a privilege to be racing with them and competing against them to an extent.”

Having recently signed a two-year contract extension with the INEOS Grenadiers, Thomas is showing no signs of letting up. “In one of my first pro races I was riding with Ivan Basso and Jan Ullrich," he recalls. "I went on to race Fabian Cancellara in the Classics and Alberto Contador and Vincenzo Nibali in the Grand Tours. I’ve raced with some big guys.”

Nevertheless, he realises he's fighting a losing battle in an attempt to continually compete against the next generation. "I have periods where I go 100% but then I have time where I completely switch off, I don’t even think of cycling and I eat and drink whatever," he concludes. "They have a different mentality now. They’re constantly thinking about biking. You can’t do that for 20 years as it’s pretty intense. They’re going to have shorter careers while I am happy to keep going a little while longer.”