Three years in the past, Geraint Thomas made his sole look thus far on the rostrum of the Volta a Catalunya, however this time spherical, with the Giro d’Italia and Tour de France in thoughts, he’s come to the race with very completely different targets.
The Ineos Grenadiers racer says the thought is to hit prime form in slightly over six weeks slightly than peaking too quickly within the season.
With that in thoughts, the Volta is one other necessary constructing block for Might and July, and this week, he’ll be driving in a help function for the squad’s GC leaders.
However on the plus aspect, he informed Cyclingnews firstly of stage 1, after racing Algarve, Strade Bianche and doing a coaching camp in Sierra Nevada, he’s very a lot heading in the right direction.
“I’m constructing properly; I’m simply trying ahead to a superb onerous race right here,” Thomas mentioned. “Hopefully, it’ll be good climate, and yeah – day-to-day.”
Again in 2021, Thomas was one of many three Ineos riders to scoop all three prime locations on the rostrum, alongside Adam Yates and Richie Porte. That was the primary time Sky/Ineos had pulled off such a feat in a stage race and the primary within the Volta because the Ferrys crew, headed by Catalan legend Miguel Poblet, completed 1-2-3 on the rostrum again in 1960.
Thomas recognised that reaching such good type, although, was nonetheless a piece in progress, however identified that given what’s in retailer in the summertime, that was solely to be anticipated.
“No, no, we’re not fairly there but,” he mentioned with a smile. “Clearly, with the Giro and Tour, it’s extra of a steadier construct. So yeah, I’m feeling higher, although. However right here it’s doing a superb job for the boys and persevering with that development.”
“I’m going to take it on the day-to-day, get caught in and do what I can. Clearly, if there’s an opportunity to go for the consequence on the day, then yeah, however definitely not GC.”
Since his first stage race on the Algarve and with Strade Bianche, the place he completed 71st, as his lone occasion since then, Thomas has been beginning to “ramp up the depth of coaching, strive and are available right here to clean up a bit, have a superb week of racing.”
He started that by ending safely within the entrance half most important pack on stage 1’s crash-blighted finale, which noticed his teammate Egan Bernal go down, thankfully with out severe penalties.
After the Volta, Thomas will return to a second altitude camp at Sierra Nevada in southern Spain after which head onto the Tour of the Alps. “And after that,” he concluded, “it’s just about all in for the Giro.”
