"What happens in Cardiff, stays in Cardiff..." – Thymen Arensman gets Geraint Thomas’ retirement party out of his system with solid Kigali Worlds TT

Thymen Arensman was the lone Dutchman on the start ramp in the elite men’s World Championships time trial in Kigali, and he delivered a respectable ninth place in challenging circumstances. The INEOS Grenadiers rider admitted his build-up had been far from ideal, but with the chaos of a crash, illness, and Geraint Thomas’ retirement celebrations behind him, he was content to walk away with a top-ten finish.

The 25-year-old’s preparation unravelled after a summer that had already left him fatigued from Tour de France success and a busy criterium circuit. A heavy crash at the Tour of Britain brought a torn glute and hip bruising, and a cold in the days before the Worlds only added to the setbacks. Still, Arensman wasn’t going to miss Thomas’ farewell. “It was the last race of Geraint’s career and I really wanted to be there,” he said in conversation with In de Leiderstrui post-race in Rwanda. “The party afterwards? Let’s just say it was a Welsh send-off. What happens in Cardiff, stays in Cardiff. For me, though, I kept the handbrake on – I was in bed by midnight to make sure I’d still have something in the tank for here.”

Three days of rest gave him just enough breathing space to line up in Kigali. What followed was a measured ride, executed without the comfort of chasing power numbers. “I rode on feel today, and I can be satisfied with that,” he explained.

Arensman later admitted his performance metrics were well below his usual level. “For a 50-minute effort, I was 50 to 60 watts down on normal. Already in the recon I felt that was how it was going to be. But I did everything I could and rode at the limit I had today.”

The result was ninth place after just over 50 minutes on the edge, an outcome that reflected both his gritted-teeth determination and the unique conditions of a Worlds held at altitude in Kigali.

Attention now turns to Sunday’s road race, where the Rwandan capital’s altitude – similar to Arensman’s Andorran home at 1,500 metres – could play a decisive role. “Altitude is altitude, but here the air is dirtier, there’s more smog than in the mountains of Andorra. But of course, that’s the same for everyone.”

As for race dynamics, Arensman expects patience to be the watchword. “If you go into the red once, you’ll really pay for it. I think it might be quite a conservative Worlds, because you can barely ride above threshold here. We’ll see – maybe that suits me.”

For now, though, the Dutchman has shown resilience and character, proving that even after a bruising crash, a bout of illness, and a Welsh retirement party, he could still rise to the occasion on the world stage.