Tadej Pogačar’s GC rivals knew he would assault on Sunday’s queen stage on the Giro d’Italia, however that did not make it any extra manageable, Geraint Thomas mentioned post-race.
The pink-jersey-wearer put in a usually commanding show on stage 15, his most dominant thus far on the race, breaking free with 14km to go to win the stage, three minutes forward of the opposite GC contenders.
The Slovenian’s assault got here after over 200km of racing by the mountains, en path to a summit end at over 2,300m altitude. Talking after the end line, Thomas mentioned he “knew the assault was coming”, however could not reply.
“UAE rode onerous all day, they wished to go for the stage, and honest play to them, chapeau to them, all of them simply buried themselves,” he informed the Eurosport cameras in Livigno.
“To be sincere, I wasn’t feeling 100%. I wasn’t assured anyway. I did not really feel tremendous all day. So when it got here, I simply thought I might try to use the opposite guys, comply with them.”
The one rider who tried to comply with Pogačar’s stinging assault was Dani Martínez (Bora-Hansgrohe), who lasted however a number of hundred meters earlier than rejoining the GC pack.
“Clearly we simply slowed proper up and it turned a cat and mouse, a race amongst us actually,” Thomas mentioned of the group. “Everybody simply type of let Pog go and do his factor.”
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With the pink jersey out of sight, the opposite group leaders then rode at their very own tempo to the mountaintop finale, the place they scrapped for seconds amongst themselves.
Thomas completed sixth on the stage, clocking the identical time as Martínez, to carry onto his second place general. The duo managed to wrestle out a number of further seconds over their different rivals, although, specifically fourth-placed Ben O’Connor (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale), who crossed the road eight seconds after them.
“I felt higher, the legs type of got here spherical, and I felt alright by the top. It was good to achieve a little bit of time on everybody and end with Dani,” Thomas mentioned.
The Welshman’s hole to Pogačar, nonetheless, nearly doubled on the day. Having gone into the stage three minutes and 41 seconds down on the Slovenian, he now trails by nearly seven minutes within the normal classification, forward of the ultimate week of racing.
For Pogačar, the race marked “among the finest days“, his fourth stage win on his Giro debut. “I’d not say one of the best day of my profession, however it was a very nice stage, a very good route, good climbs,” the race chief mentioned.
“We had this stage in thoughts since, I do not know, December or no matter. I am super-happy that we stored it beneath management. It was a very robust breakaway, however I gave all of it within the final 10km or so, 15km. I am super-happy that I might win a queen stage in Livigno, one among my favorite locations in Italy.”
