“Yesterday was a bit of a shock to the system” – Geraint Thomas finding rhythm at Tour de Suisse

Geraint Thomas is back in action this week at the Tour de Suisse as he ramps up his preparation ahead of his final Tour de France appearance next month. Speaking to Cycling Pro Net before Stage 2, the Welshman reflected on how he's feeling after a recent training block and the unexpected drama that unfolded on the opening day.

“I feel okay,” Thomas said. “Had a good block of training in Tenerife and yesterday was a bit of a shock to the system, getting going again, but this is just what I need, some proper racing.”

With no set objective for the general classification, the INEOS Grenadiers veteran is keeping things open. “I’ll just get stuck into the racing and see what I can do really,” he said. “Every day’s an opportunity. With the team we’ve got, we can try for stages and I’ll see where I am compared to the GC guys.”

He also hinted that the team’s first focus would be on teammate Ben Swift: “Today’s for Swifty. Him and Victor (Langellotti) are both quick, so we’ll see how the race goes.”

But inevitably, the conversation turned to Stage 1, which saw an unusually large group go clear early and build a gap of nearly three minutes, completely reshaping the race on day one.

“It’s rare, but it does happen sometimes,” Thomas said. “Swifty was there, but I think we just relaxed a little. Then suddenly another five go, another five… and before you know it there’s 20-odd guys up the road. That’s just how it goes sometimes.”

Still, he believes the race is far from over. “It’s not a typical Swiss parcours, but there’s a lot of hard racing to come. You can’t take anything for granted,” he said. “The boys up front rode really well, they’re strong, so it might end up being between them, but I think a lot can still happen.”