“It’s not the way I wanted to get the Giro d’Italia lead, but it’s what’s happened,” was how Geraint Thomas summed up his attitude to taking command of the corsa rosa after Remco Evenepoel was forced to abandon because of COVID-19.
Speaking on the first rest day at the Giro d'Italia, the Welshman described losing “any rider in the Giro” to COVID as “a massive loss, but especially losing a World Champion Remco is a real disappointment for the race.”
Last in command at a Grand Tour when he won the Tour de France back in 2018, Thomas confirmed he has opted to break with the unwritten tradition if a previous GC leader has had to abandon for reasons beyond his or her control, the rider who inherits the top spot overall does not wear the corresponding jersey on the following day.
Instead, Thomas, who will turn 37 during this year’s Giro, said he would be wearing the pink leader's jersey for the stage 10 start on Tuesday.
Thomas also praised the race organisation for re-introducing some anti-COVID measures, such as mask-wearing when riders are in contact with the media, saying, “I guess we need to be aware of it a lot more.”
In terms of how holding the Giro lead felt compared to when he was running second to Evenepoel, Thomas explained that it didn’t change Ineos' attitude to the race because, he said, “We’re confident with how it’s been going, and we’ll try and keep that commitment." But he did recognise that it would significantly change the second week of racing.
“Leading the race is a massive honour, but at the same time, it’s not the way you want to take the jersey. But it’s what’s happened, and that’s the way it is," he said.
“I think for the race, it’s still a good thing to keep it [maglia rosa] in the race, it can’t be helped, and the race goes on.
“I’ll definitely wear it with pride. It’s the first time I’ve worn a pink jersey. But I just wish Remco well and hope he’s back soon.”
Thomas said it was hard to compare his current form with 2018 because “racing is so different, my whole build-up has definitely been different. But compared to last year”, when he ran third in the 2022 Tour, “I feel similar to that.”
“When I was away with Primož Roglič on stage 8, I produced my best-ever power for a five-minute effort, so I guess the legs are good. So I’m not too sure how well I’m going, but I’m not slowing down, that’s for sure.”
The co-leader question
Thomas' status has undoubtedly changed in the race, given he’s leading the Giro for the first time in his career. However, he remained convinced that he and teammate Tao Geoghegan Hart, currently running third at five seconds, would be able to maintain their strong collaboration to date in the stages to come.
“We’re still co-leaders. Obviously, I’ve got the jersey, but he’s close behind. Roglič is close, and the top ten is also close, and we’ve not had a real mountaintop finish yet. There’s still a hell of a long way to go, and a lot more can happen," he said.
“So we’re in a great position as a team, not just myself and Tao, but Laurens [De Plus], Thymen [Arensman] and Pavel [Sivakov] are all in good shape and there or thereabouts. Not just the climbers but [Salvatore] Puccio and Swifty [Ben Swift] as well. So if the leaders change, we’ve got a few cards to play, and hopefully, that strength will be very useful.”
He said that the current situation atop of the GC regarding himself and Tao was “kind of even,” but he also said that “as soon as one of us stands out as the more likely to win, then for sure I’d be happy to help him if it's Tao. And I’m pretty sure he’d do the same thing.”
COVID, Evenepoel and new media regulations
Regarding COVID, which has seen multiple riders leave the race already, including his teammate Filippo Ganna, Thomas called for a return to the regulations governing the pandemic conditions that were applied in 2020 and 2021, “when we were in our own little bubble and wearing masks in public spaces," he said.
“So I guess as a team we’ll go back to that strategy, and if everybody on the race does the same thing, then hopefully it’ll stop other riders going home because obviously, it’s a massive loss losing any rider to COVID, but especially losing a World Champion like Remco is a real disappointment for the race.”
Measures were announced by the Giro organisation on Monday to ensure race media will wear masks when in contact with the riders, and Thomas said he thought it was “a good decision, but maybe too late, some riders may already have COVID and test positive in the next few days. But at least they’re doing something about it now.”
When he heard the news regarding Evenepoel, he initially thought that it was a joke along the lines of Roglic’s infamous spoof COVID positive, and was “shocked” to discover it was, in fact, the truth.
“He told me just before the announcement, and at first, I wondered if he was winding me up a bit. But then the announcement happened, and it was a huge disappointment for the race, and it might sound weird, but for me too. I told him it was shit news and wished him well, hoped to see him when I see him down the road," Thomas said.
"I was looking forward to a real GC battle with not just Remco and Roglič but everybody else: It would have been a really exciting race.” He also said that he has not - “touch wood” - had any symptoms himself.
What's to come?
Looking ahead, Thomas predicted a lot more attacks, but regardless of what happened, his position was considerably better than he could have hoped for.
“It’s strange. I thought I’d be going into the final week with a lot of time to make up - and I still could do - but to be in the first rest day in pink, I didn’t think that was going to happen. I thought I might be running sixth to tenth. So it’s a pleasant surprise, but somebody’s got to wear it, and I’ll certainly be happy to do that," he said.
Thomas said that he was definitely feeling stronger than he had done at the start of the race and agreed that his start-stop-start build-up due to illness might have ended up benefiting him.
“I’ve done plenty of years racing now, and normally I’m pretty consistent, and in third weeks I tend to be strong. I was hoping to be at my very best in that third week, and that’s still the case. So we’ll see how it goes, but it seems to be heading in the right direction.”
At this point in his career, even as leader of a Grand Tour, Thomas denied that he felt any pressure. “I’d love to take this opportunity, as I’ve said, a lot of people seemed to write me off, but I proved them wrong last year. This is a bonus round, so to speak," he said.
“When you get to the end of your career, you realise how lucky we are just to be able to race our bikes for a living. And you realise it’s not going to last forever, so you want to make the most of it, and that’s what I’m going to do.”
When it was put to him that it would be an amazing achievement to win the Giro, Thomas showed his typically dry humour remains intact when he joked, “they haven’t said ‘at my age,’ [in the question], have they?”
But after two Giro GC bids where things went awry through no fault of his own, he admitted that he was very excited to have the opportunity to try for a third time, which would hopefully be the proverbial lucky one.
“After 2020, I thought that would be it for my chance to win the Giro, but as I said before, whatever happens, happens." I’ve got the palmares that I’ve got, and I’d absolutely love to add to it, but I just want to enjoy this race and see where we can go.”
