“You’re not going to race him with 50k to go and he’s doing seven watts a kilo" - Geraint Thomas explains why bunch don't follow Pogacar attacks
CyclingThursday, 27 August 2026 at 11:41
Geraint Thomas knows all about seeing Tadej Pogacar showing the peloton a clean pair of heels, after retiring from racing just last year, the INEOS Director of Racing is seeing history repeat itself at the Vuelta a Espana this time around.
Already in command of the Grand Tour after just five days, the UAE Team Emirates - XRG rider's dominant stage 4 performance put almost three minutes on the rest of the general classification field on a multiple mountain stage as he attacked with around 50 kilometers left.
Cementing his iron grip on the red jersey, Pogacar seems destined to lead the Grand Tour from day one right until the 21st stage and Granada finale. As no rider could match Pogacar's seismic seven watts per kilo acceleration on Tuesday, Thomas offered a simple analysis - that it's simply impossible for everyone else.
“You’re not going to race him"
“You’re not going to race him with 50k to go and he’s doing seven watts a kilo, because you know you just can’t do that,” Thomas said on his Watts Occuring podcast with Decathlon CMA CGM sports director Luke Rowe.
Rowe agreed, but offered a glimmer of hope in the form of crosswinds: “If you look at scenarios where he can lose time, it’s not on the climbs, it’s not on sprint days. But on crosswind days, anything can happen.”
The INEOS squad features Joshua Tarling who took to the start line just over a week after the tragic passing of his brother Finlay Tarling at the Volta a Portugal as the cycling world praised his determination and strength.
Joshua Tarling
Geraint Thomas praises Joshua Tarling
Echoing that support, Thomas praised his remarkable performance in the Monaco stage 1 time trial, where he came within four seconds of winning the stage despite not training before the race began.
“He wanted to just come and be normal, be a bike rider, have a team around him to support him and just be worried about racing really.
“Take all the emotion out of it now, purely from a performance point of view, he didn’t sleep very well. He obviously didn’t eat very well. He hardly rode his bike for a week. To go there and put out that performance, almost win, is just insane really.”
Gavin QuinnCycling Journalist
Gavin Quinn is a cycling journalist and ultra-distance cyclist with a BA in Journalism from Dublin City University. Formerly the Press & Communications Officer for Cycling Ireland, Gavin has worked inside the national team at the World Championships and has reported for the Irish Mirror, Mirror UK, and The42.
His expertise is backed by elite-level access, having interviewed stars like Sam Bennett and Ben Healy, as well as immense personal endurance. In 2025, he completed a 12,000km solo cycle from Ireland to Vietnam, following a 4,600km tour across Europe. From the cobbles of Paris-Roubaix to the gradients of the Tourmalet, Gavin’s writing focuses on the "romance and brutality" of the sport. Having visited 50+ countries, he brings a global, cultural perspective to his coverage of the pro peloton for CyclingUpToDate.
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- Stop with the excuses. Train harder!
Front24227-08-2026 - He rode like a boss in the TDF - chapeau!Crashjames27-08-2026
- Capish has a ? not a ! you American twat
Rafionain-Glas27-08-2026 - So are millions of others.Renz27-08-2026
- What is Naesen's definition of an opponent? Giulio Pellizzari, on stage 16 of the 2024 Giro, battled to stay ahead of Pogačar. After failing to do so, he asked for Pogačar's glasses, and recieved that aswell as the (sweaty) jersey. He later was the only rider who fought Pogačar on Monte Grappa, attacking from the favourites on the first ascent and flying past the breakaway before he was caught by Pogačar on the second ascent, but stayed with him for a kilometre or two. That's clearly viewing Pogačar as an opponentRafionain-Glas27-08-2026
- I think that's a bit too generous. He seems to spend more time ill or crashing than actually rolling his wheels on the bikeRafionain-Glas27-08-2026
- That man (Cian) is an absolute rolling disaster.wrsty27-08-2026
- Er, he didn't ask for the glasses, as you yourself say. A bottle is not much to give, but those glasses were special.Hills3327-08-2026
- A monopoly is generally considered harmful to consumers and the economy because it eliminates competition, often leading to higher prices and lower quality. Pogi and his backers have created a monopoly.
vannpelt27-08-2026 - His racing weight for the Tour de l'Avenir was 59 kg for 1.81 m, which is extraordinary lean. Despite that, his time trialing (something not assessed at the Tour de l'Avenir, but at the Giro) is at a high level.Rafionain-Glas27-08-2026
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