Stage 14 goes to plan for INEOS as Geraint Thomas gives up race lead: "It is possible that the team will go full throttle tomorrow"

Geraint Thomas is no longer the Maglia Rosa at the Giro d'Italia. With INEOS happy to finish over 20 minutes down on the breakaway, Groupama - FDJ's Bruno Armirail has taken the race lead.

The INEOS Grenadiers are not at all concerned however, as their sports director Matteo Tossato revealed following the conclusion of the stage. “We are happy with this situation,” Tosatto told Europsort. “Today was a ride before the flight. It was important for us that there were no riders who were dangerous for the standings. They didn't waste too much energy checking the stage. It was another sh*t day weather-wise. I prefer that we race conservatively and save energy with the boys.”

In fact, the passing on of the race lead to someone they don't consider a major threat by the time they reach Rome was all part of the INEOS masterplan. “Certainly, it was an opportunity to lose the pink. We had a clear plan this morning. The guys were super focused at the start. Now it is important to recover well and sleep well for tomorrow," continues Tossato.

For Thomas meanwhile, he can now enjoy a night without media commitments. "This is important. You need to recover, don't waste too much energy, don't take risks, sleep well. Eat and drink, eat and drink. You have to save your strength, especially here, because of the weather," says Tossato. "The cold causes the boys to waste more energy. The last week has been very hard, while the energy is getting less and less.”

Stage 15 is another day however and according to Tossato, the GC battle could finally light up this race. “I remember from the Tour of Lombardy that it is a very tough climb. It is the first really steep climb of the Giro. It is possible that the team will go full throttle tomorrow. It is important to be there from the start.”