Geraint Thomas on UAE-Emirates: ‘They are all normal, apart from Tadej Pogačar’

Sure, Geraint Thomas is sitting in third overall at the Giro d’Italia behind Tadej Pogačar, but it ain’t over. There are still nine stages and if cycling has taught us anything, well, anything can happen.

The Welshman knows this well. He was leading the Giro in 2023 but lost the maglia rosa in the final time trial. Still, Pogi is a dominant force.

The Slovenian’s team has come under scrutiny for not being strong enough to defend the pink–with Pog quick to refute that. The same goes for Thomas, who says that his rival’s team is strong. Sort of.

Geraint Thomas on pro cyclists: ‘Like clowns in a circus’

“They’re all normal apart from Pogačar. So they can all have a strong day and then not back it up quite as good,” Thomas said to GCN. “But they’re one of the strongest teams here.”

Thomas has been impressive for the most part of the Giro, apart from a relatively lackluster first time trial.

That being said, he has another test coming up where he can redeem himself. The 31.2-kilometer Stage 14 from Castiglione delle Stiviere to Desenzano del Garda presents a mostly flat route, featuring only 250 mof elevation gain. Thomas aims to vie for a spot among the leading GC contenders, bolstering his chances for a podium finish ahead of the challenging mountain stage scheduled for Sunday.

“I’m just looking forward to putting it right after the first one to be honest, but I’m not thinking too far ahead because we have the stage today, and it will be tough. I’ll try and get through the stage as best as possible but the weekend is going to be a big one,” Thomas said to GCN. When asked about his TT where he had only finished 10th, he said, “I’ll just forget about what happened really.”

Still, the 38-year-old is optimistic going forward.

“I’ll learn from some of it obviously but I’ll have a plan, try and stick to it and do the best I can. Then we’ll reassess on the rest day.”

You can watch the Giro d’Italia on FloBikes.com