“Talk’s cheap, but when you back it up fair play” – Geraint Thomas amazed by Evenepoel’s time trial

Stage 5 of the 2025 Tour de France saw Remco Evenepoel lay down a statement of intent, winning the individual time trial as most experts expected him to. The Belgian delivered on his pre-race confidence, gaining significant time over key rivals. Tadej Pogacar came closest, just 16 seconds back, while defending champion Jonas Vingegaard lost over a minute.

“I believe I can do this. I can take time on him. I can take the jersey. I can take 50 seconds on Vingegaard,” Evenepoel had said the night before. “And then he just goes out there and does it,” said Luke Rowe on the Watt’s Occuring podcast. “Talk's cheap, innit? But when you back it up, fair play.”

Thomas, who rode the TT without full commitment, said he started with decent legs and was initially ahead of his pacing plan. But with no feedback from his team car at the time checks, he assumed he was out of contention and backed off.

“I must be miles down now,” he recalled thinking. “There’s no point in going half 11 coming in 20th.” He eventually eased off further with 10km to go, aware that he wouldn’t beat the leading time.

Despite the disappointment, he found value in the ride: “It did me good just to get that sort of bit of hit out in… nice course… typical TT course… big wide open plains… flags blowing in the wind.”

Evenepoel’s win was expected by many, but Pogacar’s performance raised eyebrows given how he had struggled in the TT during the Dauphine. “Pog was close, man,” Thomas said. “Sixteen seconds off him… that’s a hell of a ride by Pog.” Still, Evenepoel’s ability to back up his bold predictions drew the most respect.

“Significantly slower in the corners than Pogy… so what was he doing on the straights?” Rowe asked.

Vingegaard, meanwhile, now finds himself over a minute down in the overall standings, a major early deficit. “I thought he would do slightly better… not a minute,” Thomas admitted.

Eduardo Affini also earned praise for his third-place ride. “Worked for the team for four days… then bam, opportunity for himself,” Rowe said. “That was solid.”

Thomas and co-host Luke Rowe eventually awarded “Chappo of the Day” jointly to Evenepoel and Affini. “Remco was the strong favorite. He executed, delivered,” Rowe said. “Afini, nice guy, solid ride, and he's done a lot for the team.”

Looking ahead, Thomas hinted that Stage 6 could be his chance to go on the attack. “G and the breakaway,” said Rowe. “That’s what I’d say.” Thomas agreed: “Yeah, tomorrow I think it’s got a chance.”

The course could favor a break, but with UAE holding the yellow jersey, Pogacar’s team may still want to keep things under control. “They’ll want to save the boys a bit… keep it relatively close… hope that somebody else helps chase,” Thomas said.

Beyond tactics, Thomas also reflected on the intense stress of modern Tour racing. “Nobody touches their brakes… it’s like a game of chicken,” he said. “You’re doing 70, 80k an hour and everyone’s just fighting for position… it’s just not worth it.”

Asked whether this was just age catching up with him, Thomas was clear: “Everyone’s saying it during the race as well. But everyone’s just like, ‘Well, I’ve got to do it cos he’s doing it.’”

He admitted the mental toll was significant. “You’re just thinking, ‘I need a caffeine shot cuz I need someone to g me up for this.’”

Despite the challenges, the Welshman remains determined. “Still got engines here. We can still do that,” he said. “We either line up next time or gamble again and just roll with it.”

As the GC battle heats up and the breakaways become more valuable, Thomas will look to turn experience into opportunity. “You’ve got that yellow jersey hanging up at home,” he was reminded by his old mate Luke Rowe. “Still hurts when you get dropped,” Thomas replied, laughing.