Thomas de Gendt blames team tactics for quiet Grand Tour farewell: "We were simply not allowed to attack… Or at least I wasn't"

Famed for his breakaway moves and relentlessly attacking style, Thomas de Gendt was keen on taking a final Grand Tour stage win before retirement at the 2024 Vuelta a Espana. Over the first 16 stages however, the Belgian has been relatively anonymous.

The reason for this quiet farewell? According to the man himself, Lotto Dstny's team tactics. “In the beginning we were with Lennert Van Eetvelt and we had to save ourselves as much as possible," says De Gendt ahead of stage 17, in quotes collected by Het Nieuwsblad. "Then there were many stages that were too difficult to win, so we were simply not allowed to attack… Or at least I wasn't."

A former King of the Mountains winner at the Vuelta and a winner of stages at all three of cycling's Grand Tours, De Gendt has completely given up hope of adding one last success to his palmares before retirement, although the 37-year-old realises time and opportunities are running out.

"There are few chances left. It is the team that decides the tactics and how to ride. If they think this is the best, then so be it,” he explains, revealing that all his targeted stages have already gone. “In those cases, I didn’t manage to join, or I wasn’t allowed to. Then those stages pass by quickly. Like yesterday, when I wasn’t allowed to join because the finish was too tough. And the others ended up being a sprint. And now that Lennert has gone home? We were allowed to attack last week, but the stages were too tough. Lennert was still there in stages ten and eleven, so we’re only five stages further. And a few times someone else from the team was also there.”

With just a few stages left, one of those being the final time trial in Madrid, it might be the case that we have already seen the last of Thomas De Gendt at the front of a Grand Tour.