"Tadej is simply of a higher level" - Geraint Thomas surprises to third place at Tour, confirms he'd be happy with it

Geraint Thomas is in third place at the Tour de France after a week of racing. A result that not many would've foreseen after seeing the first few months of 2022. However, the current leader of INEOS Grenadiers has timed his form perfectly and is in a position to capture a podium at the Tour.

“Tadej is simply of a higher level. Vincenzo Nibali and Alberto Contador were especially good climbers. Although the Spaniard was also able to ride well against the clock," Thomas told Het Nieuwsblad. “Froomey was also good at the two different disciplines. But Pogacar? He is something different. Look at his sprint. Look at his first Tour of Flanders. He was also the strongest man in the race there. He is good about the stones. He can do everything. Phenomenal! I don't see how he wouldn't be the biggest favorite in the Tour victory for the next five, six years," the leader of INEOS Grenadiers said.

Similar opinions echo throughout the peloton, and at his third Tour de France the Slovenian prodigy is in pole position to take a third title, at the age of 23. Geraint Thomas is back on track after a difficult period and is sitting an impressive third place in the overall classification currently, and is very much within the fight.

The Welsh has won the Tour back in 2018, but admits that he "would be proud of a new podium finish" on the 2022 edition. "Especially after the past few years. If only to prove to some people around me that I can still do it. It would be a credit to finish in the top three, but on the other hand I would still like to try to win the Tour again," he justified.

With Adam Yates and Tom Pidcock joining him in a strong position inside the Top10 and a strong collective outside of it, INEOS Grenadiers still have the firepower to provide the race with a lot of leverage in the coming weeks. “The most important thing is that I leave Paris without regrets. And that as a team we did everything we could to try and win this race," Thomas is keen on pointing out.

"We have to be in the right situation to play out our surplus, but as always: you also have to have the right legs. Doing it is something else. There is also Jumbo-Visma, which will also try to win. You just have to look for opportunities, but like I said, it's easier said than done," Thomas concluded. Today's stage into Megève will likely be a calmer day in the peloton, however the coming days will be crucial and he will return to Alpe d'Huez where he won back in 2018.