It may be that he just doesn’t have the desire to live like a serious GT contender. He might recover that desire, but if he doesn’t I can’t really blame him. He has won the Tour de France after all, there’s nothing bigger to aim for. If he isn’t going to live like a GT contender I hope he comes to that realization soon and focuses on something that doesn’t require the same kind of monastic existence, like going back to the classics.
- Feb 20, 2012
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Yes, classics contenders ofcourse don't have to live for their craft at all.
In their latest podcast "Watts Occurring" Thomas and Rowe briefly discuss the matter that for G it is much harder to get so skinny to be able to compete with the natural born climbers. Two or three extra kilos won't hurt his chances in Paris-Roubaix and not so much in Flanders. I definitely would see him return to the classics at the end of his career.
Classics contenders do not have to live like psychotic ascetics in the same way that today’s serious GT contenders do. You still have to be a highly driven professional athlete, but that’s not the same thing. You can, most notably, maintain a less unnatural body weight, which makes a very big difference to how much you can enjoy your life. Particularly for riders who did not start out emaciated. Living as Skeletor is miserable.
G's wife has just given birth. With a heavily pregnant wife, and the very real prospect of the baby arriving during the WCs, I think his lack of focus since the tour can be very much forgiven.
Thomas did a 309 kilometer training ride in 8.5 hours, an average speed of 36 kilomters per hour. He seems pretty motivated this off-season.
TBF, it was a team ride, at the training camp, he wasn't alone, for example, Van Baarle 8.35 hrs for 309 km, Cameron Wurf joined them .
- Feb 25, 2016
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some think he's just in training mode (such as faustocoppi60 on Twitter, who usually knows what he's talking about) and will come good before the Tour, others think he's in worse shape than Froome. Lots of middle ground between those extremes, of course.
He did seem fairly relaxed to me in that French race. I'm not writing him off quite yet.
- Feb 25, 2016
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- Aug 6, 2014
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You know what I find weird yet frightening? That we haven't heard anything about Thomas. Nothing. Just crickets. He has been godawful trash ever since the season resumed, yet nothing. Not a beep. Rasch was vague about him as well. He finished second to last, in the same time as someone who crashed in stage 1. Normally all alarm bells would go off simultaneously, but INEOS seem perfectly fine with it. Either he has his best legs ever, or he did absolutely nothing in regards to training during the break.
- Feb 20, 2012
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We have heard about him.
Wiggins said he was in the form of his life and was gonna win the Tour.
- Feb 25, 2016
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- Jan 4, 2020
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That would be the best twist ever, if Thomas now just came out during the Tour and dominated that whole Jumblebee-team.
But no.
I don't agree with some others though that only the leaders look weak. (But that is probably because I am comparing them to Jumbo now.) Kwiatkowski, like last season, does not look at his best at all. Castroviejo is good, van Baarle okay. TGH really not great.
Really at this point, when obviously Bernal needs the best team possible to beat Jumbo, I would leave Froome and Thomas at home (if this is not the biggest bluff ever).
Bernal, Sivakov, Castroviejo, van Baarle, Rowe, Amador, Sosa, Kwiatkowski?
But no.
I don't agree with some others though that only the leaders look weak. (But that is probably because I am comparing them to Jumbo now.) Kwiatkowski, like last season, does not look at his best at all. Castroviejo is good, van Baarle okay. TGH really not great.
Really at this point, when obviously Bernal needs the best team possible to beat Jumbo, I would leave Froome and Thomas at home (if this is not the biggest bluff ever).
Bernal, Sivakov, Castroviejo, van Baarle, Rowe, Amador, Sosa, Kwiatkowski?
There have been some quotes from Thomas, such as this one, from August 15
"It's been a tough start," he said. "Obviously I was hoping to be a bit better. The numbers are good, I just need to chip off another kilo or so and I'll be perfect."
Egan Bernal out of Criterium du Dauphine with back problem
Egan Bernal pulls out of the Criterium du Dauphine to "rest a bad back," according to fellow Team Ineos rider Geraint Thomas.
www.bbc.com
- Mar 19, 2009
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Rasch yesterday: “Geraint wanted to save his legs for tomorrow so let’s hope he has something in the tank tomorrow,”
105 Geraint Thomas (GBr) Team Ineos 0:33:48
Saved his legs to finish a half hour back? Ouch.
105 Geraint Thomas (GBr) Team Ineos 0:33:48
Saved his legs to finish a half hour back? Ouch.
- Aug 6, 2010
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Can his form really be as bad as it looks though? He wasn't that bad on stage 3.
If it is this bad, and he is way behind the eight ball perhaps due to not handling the lockdown situation well, then surely his focus is instead the Giro or Vuelta? There is still time to build form for either of those races. Would he be allowed to ride the Tour De France as training, as one of the worst domestiques on the team?
If it is this bad, and he is way behind the eight ball perhaps due to not handling the lockdown situation well, then surely his focus is instead the Giro or Vuelta? There is still time to build form for either of those races. Would he be allowed to ride the Tour De France as training, as one of the worst domestiques on the team?
Did not expect Thomas to be dropped. With Carapaz going and the amount of TT in the Grio may be a good thing for him.
Part of me wonders whether this was in the offing because Amador is also doing the Tour with Carapaz. Ineos' Tour team looks very strong.
If I was to guess the Giro team will have a core of-
G. Thomas
I. Sosa
S. Henao
T. G. Hart
R. Dennis
S. Puccio
Throw in a couple of others say Swift and Doull and that has the makings of a decent team.
Part of me wonders whether this was in the offing because Amador is also doing the Tour with Carapaz. Ineos' Tour team looks very strong.
If I was to guess the Giro team will have a core of-
G. Thomas
I. Sosa
S. Henao
T. G. Hart
R. Dennis
S. Puccio
Throw in a couple of others say Swift and Doull and that has the makings of a decent team.
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- Jan 4, 2020
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But do you think they should have taken him? He would have been to the Tour, but probably always as "also there". This way he can improve until the Giro and be a very good contender, if things go well.
The team this year is not like in some years, when you could have said it does not matter if they take two guys for past glory. But this year they might really need every strong leg they can get hold of. But, like I said, also for Thomas that seems to be the better way for me, even if I have no clue what went wrong.
The team this year is not like in some years, when you could have said it does not matter if they take two guys for past glory. But this year they might really need every strong leg they can get hold of. But, like I said, also for Thomas that seems to be the better way for me, even if I have no clue what went wrong.
- Nov 16, 2013
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Initially, I thought it was disrespectful when I saw the news but after a few minutes' reflection I agree that it wouldn't have made much sense to send him, given that his form showed in the Dauphiné really was his real form.
- Sep 11, 2016
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Also his age is not the best, he may like the chance to get a different GT on his palmares other than the Tour (even though it's the big one). You never know, next year the Vuelta then he has the lot!
- Feb 16, 2010
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