"We let Pog go" - No chance of fighting for Giro victory for Geraint Thomas, who maintains second place intact in Livigno

Geraint Thomas and INEOS Grenadiers tried to surprise in this second week of the Giro d'Italia but the outcome was not the best. The Welshman remains in second place of the overall classification following the queen stage, a strong result, but there was simply no chance of coming close to Tadej Pogacar as the race leader stamped his authority in Livigno.

“We knew the attack would come. UAE had been riding hard all day to go for the stage. Cheers to them. They completely emptied themselves for one man," Thomas said in a post-race interview. Simple and direct words from Thomas regarding the only rider who is ahead of him in the overall classification. However, realistically, the INEOS rider was never in a position to put Pogacar under pressure.

Despite having several stage wins and a comfortable lead under their belt, UAE Team Emirates still decided to work hard today simply for the purpose of winning the stage - and as a bonus, put even more time into their rivals. They did so well organized and with power from Pogacar who attacked his rivals on the Passo del Foscagno and rolled away to the finish line, taking 2.50 minutes on Thomas.

Thomas' battle was a different one. “To be honest, I didn't feel 100 percent. I had no confidence because I didn't feel great all day. So when the attack came, I thought: I'll use the other guys, I'll follow them. After that it became a cat and mouse game between us." With the support of Thymen Arensman, but also due to the work of Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale and Bahrain - Victorious, big gaps did not open on the final climbs, and Thomas managed to benefit from this situation to keep his second place on the GC.

"We let Pog go. Then I got through something. At the end I felt okay. It was nice to finish together with Dani and take time on the rest," he concluded. He finished alongside Martínez and keeps his 15-second gap over the Colombian. However, he still took a few seconds on Ben O'Connor but specially Antonio Tiberi who struggled on the final climb.