Teams & Riders Geraint Thomas

[Netserk]

I think you're deliberately missing my point.

Can't you just say forthright what is so terrible about Thomas instead of this annoying game where I have to guess the answers to your riddles?

I don't find his career trajectory inspiring, just like I wasn't inspired by Horner. And I'm as unimpressed by his elite credentials as a bike rider by his track record as I am of the two Danes I mentioned.

 

[YavorD]

Actually Thomas is the only rider to have won E3 and the Tour. And except for Pogacar, I don't see anyone doing it any time soon. That's rather inspiring I think. Never really liked him but he's had a great career.

Yes, Eddy Merckx did do it as well. I knew it, overrated rider.

 

[pastronef]

at the end of the day it's very subjective. for example I never liked Nibali and I am uninspired by his elite credentials. other people are uninspired by Thomas' elite credentials. voilà

 

[Samu Cuenca]

In some ways Thomas just seemed to be the next in line at the SKY Hit Factory, similar to when Stock Aitken Waterman tried to make Jason Donovan their next Rick Astley (also both SKY and SAW have been quite succesful, heavily criticised and very full of themselves). Richie Porte would of course have been a better Donovan counterpart, but he sadly proved to be even worse at carrying a tune throughout a whole song/GT.

However I've never hated G, and I've had a kind of better late than never approach towards his results.
His improvement was also much more gradual than Wiggins and Froome's, for instance, and a lot less WTF than Horner's.

 

[tobydawq]

I don't find his career trajectory inspiring, just like I wasn't inspired by Horner. And I'm as unimpressed by his elite credentials as a bike rider by his track record as I am of the two Danes I mentioned.

I just don't really get it, and it's frustrating how you, RR and LS always act as if it's axiomatic that Thomas must be scoffed at/disrespected without ever giving any reasons other than rhetorical questions (okay, that modus operandi is mainly yours).

 

[Bolder]

I hear what you are saying. Still I think respectable is correct. Evans career was also respectable. I respect what they have achieved in the sport. I don't don't think any of them have outstanding or remarkable careers.

Compared to the average WT pro, yes he and Evans had an outstanding career, what was frustrating about G is his lack of panache. Yeah, he was a grinder but heroically following wheels is not the stuff of legends.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

I just don't really get it, and it's frustrating how you, RR and LS always act as if it's axiomatic that Thomas must be scoffed at/disrespected without ever giving any reasons other than rhetorical questions (okay, that modus operandi is mainly yours).

At the same time, you have Samhocking and Pastronef both making disingenuous points in his favour, Pastro trying to push that his career path mirrors that of Tom Dumoulin, who had already retired - and announced his second retirement - by the age Thomas won his Tour, and Sam trying to push his late career run as being similar to that of Contador but at an advanced age, specifying, and I quote, "no other" riders had been that competitive in GCs at age 37, and conveniently ignoring the other ex-Classics man who was larger than most of the contemporary GC threats who made a GC podium at the Tour aged 37 in recent years. I know invoking him is kinda cycling's equivalent of Godwin's Law at this point, but it's clear that obfuscation and bad faith discussion is a two-way street here.

 

[Davesta]

I’m firmly in the camp of those that think Thomas has had an outstanding career. There are not many riders who have won/podiumed Olympic & World track medals, Grand tours, multiple stage races & classics.
In terms of results, he’s one of the most versatile riders of the last 20 years!
Of course in terms of riding style, he’s one of the most one-dimensional riders of the last 20 years!
He certainly won’t be making my all-time cycling highlights reel for any searing attacks. But I’m not going to begrudge him working hard to eke out the very best of his capability and riding in a way that maximises his results.

 

[Armchair Cyclist]

Assuming there is one...just saying that's all, just under 200 days to go, still no route or stages published yet

BBC News suggested that the last stage of ToB would finish in Cardiff, so perhaps this story was also intended to be a bit of pre-publicity for the race.

 

[Red Rick]

I just don't really get it, and it's frustrating how you, RR and LS always act as if it's axiomatic that Thomas must be scoffed at/disrespected without ever giving any reasons other than rhetorical questions (okay, that modus operandi is mainly yours).

To me he's the least inspiring Tour de France winner I've ever watched. And despite the fact that he hadn't even made the top 10 in a GT before, his TdF win had a sense of boring inevitability about it without being particularly dominant.

To me, the one moment that summarizees Geraint Thomas is that he couldn't understand why Pidcock wanted to go stagehunting in that AdH stage. He couldn't even imagine anything other than following wheels all day.

Finally I just resent how he's been whitewashed and how people act like he's a funny dude just cause he's British and says the word "bloke" a lot.

 

[tobydawq]

To me, the one moment that summarizees Geraint Thomas is that he couldn't understand why Pidcock wanted to go stagehunting in that AdH stage. He couldn't even imagine anything other than following wheels all day.

Finally I just resent how he's been whitewashed and how people act like he's a funny dude just cause he's British and says the word "bloke" a lot.

Fair enough regarding the first paragraph - I understand that and was also a bit incredulous when I saw his comments around Pidcock.

As for the second; he is funny.

 

[Gratemans]

To me he was thouroughly uninspiring as a rider, but I do think he's a pretty funny and nice guy.

 

[Netserk]

I just don't really get it, and it's frustrating how you, RR and LS always act as if it's axiomatic that Thomas must be scoffed at/disrespected without ever giving any reasons other than rhetorical questions (okay, that modus operandi is mainly yours).

None of my questions were rhetorical.

And I think it matters for many that he is the third in the series of Wiggins, Froome, Thomas. With all the similarities that entails. Whereas Bernal as a very different rider was immediately beloved despite being the fourth Sky rider to win the Tour.

 

[tobydawq]

None of my questions were rhetorical.

And I think it matters for many that he is the third in the series of Wiggins, Froome, Thomas. With all the similarities that entails. Whereas Bernal as a very different rider was immediately beloved despite being the fourth Sky rider to win the Tour.

Okay, not rhetorical, but you know what I mean. A way to avoid actually answering and instead making me do it for you and hoping that in that process I will come to the logical conclusion that your opinion is of course correct.

The Wiggins-Froome-Thomas list is also a fair point. And I understand how that could have made one dislike him at the time but it seems a bit much for LS to still say that she doesn't respect his career if that's the reason...

Him beating Sagan at E3 should be a point in his favour, but apparently not enough.

 

[perico]

41 ≠ 32

And Thomas was always elite at what he did. He won gold in Beijing.

True. He’s the only modern TDF winner to previously come close to being the lantern rouge.

 

[yaco]

Okay, not rhetorical, but you know what I mean. A way to avoid actually answering and instead making me do it for you and hoping that in that process I will come to the logical conclusion that your opinion is of course correct.

The Wiggins-Froome-Thomas list is also a fair point. And I understand how that could have made one dislike him at the time but it seems a bit much for LS to still say that she doesn't respect his career if that's the reason...

Him beating Sagan at E3 should be a point in his favour, but apparently not enough.

That E3 result was LS's worst nightmare.

 

[tobydawq]

True. He’s the only modern TDF winner to previously come close to being the lantern rouge.

What he did (focused on) in 2007 was not road cycling. It was track cycling. Which he was elite at. Which was my point.

 

[samhocking]

At the same time, you have Samhocking and Pastronef both making disingenuous points in his favour, Pastro trying to push that his career path mirrors that of Tom Dumoulin, who had already retired - and announced his second retirement - by the age Thomas won his Tour, and Sam trying to push his late career run as being similar to that of Contador but at an advanced age, specifying, and I quote, "no other" riders had been that competitive in GCs at age 37, and conveniently ignoring the other ex-Classics man who was larger than most of the contemporary GC threats who made a GC podium at the Tour aged 37 in recent years. I know invoking him is kinda cycling's equivalent of Godwin's Law at this point, but it's clear that obfuscation and bad faith discussion is a two-way street here.

To be clear when I say 'no other' I was referring to no other GC riders,. ie riders who are routinely competitive in GC for a podium like Thomas has been and still reach it at 37 or the end of their career.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

To be clear when I say 'no other' I was referring to no other GC riders,. ie riders who are routinely competitive in GC for a podium like Thomas has been and still reach it at 37 or the end of their career.

In no way does that exclude the guy I mentioned.

 

[tobydawq]

To be clear when I say 'no other' I was referring to no other GC riders,. ie riders who are routinely competitive in GC for a podium like Thomas has been and still reach it at 37 or the end of their career.

Have you heard of Alejandro Valverde?

 

[King Of The Wolds]

What a career. I don't need to list his achievements here. We all know his palmares. Not a legendary palmares, but a great one.

I can't think of many (any?) riders though with his talent and ability who was just as happy, and able, to ride for others as he was himself. His 2015 TdF performance for me, was maybe the best of his career. Up with Froome right up until the last few kms in the high mountains, getting him across to the front echelon in the cross winds, giving him an armchair ride in the mayhem of the punchy finishes, positioning him perfectly at all times, day after day. Like a 1 man team of domestiques.

Career trajectory and place of birth doesn't fit the purists' ideals, but great rider, great team player, great guy.

 

[pastronef]

Career trajectory and place of birth doesn't fit the purists' ideals, but great rider, great team player, great guy.

yep, and that's what makes me appreciate him a bit more

 

[samhocking]

In no way does that exclude the guy I mentioned.

It does because he wasn't very competitive very often for GT podiums like Thomas in the end of his career and never in Le Tour where his best result was 9th in his last decade of racing it. Valverde reached 2 GT podiums in the last 15 years of his career so just not the same level of GT rider and neither should he have been he wasn't really focused on GT exclusively. Thomas reached 5 GT podiums in last 9 years of his career and half of that career after being a domestique post Track, something Valverde never really did either.

 

[tobydawq]

It does because he wasn't very competitive very often for GT podiums like Thomas in the end of his career and never in Le Tour where his best result was 9th in his last decade of racing it. Valverde reached 2 GT podiums in the last 15 years of his career so just not the same level of GT rider and neither should he have been he wasn't really focused on GT exclusively. Thomas reached 5 GT podiums in last 9 years of his career and half of that career after being a domestique post Track, something Valverde never really did either.

Wtf?

 

[Davesta]

It does because he wasn't very competitive very often for GT podiums like Thomas in the end of his career and never in Le Tour where his best result was 9th in his last decade of racing it. Valverde reached 2 GT podiums in the last 15 years of his career so just not the same level of GT rider and neither should he have been he wasn't really focused on GT exclusively. Thomas reached 5 GT podiums in last 9 years of his career and half of that career after being a domestique post Track, something Valverde never really did either.

Err…you may want to double check Valverde’s palmeres there !
He podiumed GTs 9 times, with 3 of them when older than 35…not to mention other stage race wins & GT top 10s.