What next for Geraint Thomas
He's been one of the men of the Tour, talked up as GC contender one day by Sir Dave and finally showing what he can do on a MTF.
He's already 29, so do they let him have a go at the Vuelta (too tired?) or the Giro? Is he just too laid back to not juts continue as a domestique and classics guy? Can't see him jumping ship at the moment.
He's already 29, so do they let him have a go at the Vuelta (too tired?) or the Giro? Is he just too laid back to not juts continue as a domestique and classics guy? Can't see him jumping ship at the moment.
0
Comments
-
If he goes for GC he will get a lot more attention, does he want that?0
-
-
Beat me to it! I was just writing a Geraint thread. Still a long way to go this tour but he looks so strong in all departments. I always think of Thomas as a young rider but at 29 now he's in his prime and too good to be a support act for the next 2/3 years. He's certainly more likeable than Froome and I'd like to see him have a crack at the TDF leading another team. Brailsford will have to make him a few promises if this form continues and he is to keep him at Sky.Pinno, מלך אידיוט וחרא מכונאי0
-
I'm looking forward to seeing him win Paris-Roubaix or De Ronde next year.0
-
He might not want the attention but he bloody well should want a crack a GC should the opportunity arise.If he goes for GC he will get a lot more attention, does he want that?Pinno, מלך אידיוט וחרא מכונאי0 -
I think he'll get his chance at either Vuelta or Giro. Porte is off and Thomas looks like a more complete rider than Konig currently. Sky may bring in someone like Landa as a prospect (what is he 25?) but I'd say Thomas is in a strong position for a tilt at a grand tour.0
-
I'm looking forward to seeing him win Paris-Roubaix or De Ronde next year.
That!
I don't think he has the head to be a GT GC rider - probably becasue he's such a nice guyWe're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
- @ddraver0 -
1 week stage races and one day classics for me. he'd have to change relatively significantly to be ultra competetive on the 3 week parcours.
Bear in mind i'm basing it on his current abilities. whilst froome is around Sky have their GC guy, for the tour. if G wants to take a crack at the tour, i think he'd need to jump ship. if he went for the giro against any of the current big 4, he wouldn't presently be able to beat them, same with the vuelta.
if he dropped 5kg and kept his power, he would be in better shape.
I prefer him going for it in the classics, and deep down i think he does as well.0 -
What next for Geraint Thomas?
More cycling'Do not compare your bike to others, for always there will be greater and lesser bikes'0 -
I think some people need to get real. Geraint Thomas is a great rider but do you seriously think he could challenge the likes of Froome, Contador, Quintana and Nibali over a three week grand tour? I think he's being flattered at the moment by Sky's general performance and obviously below par performances from Contador and Nibali et al.0
-
I think some people need to get real. Geraint Thomas is a great rider but do you seriously think he could challenge the likes of Froome, Contador, Quintana and Nibali over a three week grand tour? I think he's being flattered at the moment by Sky's general performance and obviously below par performances from Contador and Nibali et al.
Well Contador is close to retirement and Nibali's form is always up and down. I can't see Quintana going for the Giro for a few years, he'll try and win the Tour with the Vuelta as backup.
Having said that, i'm not sure G has that extra few percent to win a GT but I'd like him to get a shot at the Giro next year.0 -
Ride GC as much as possible, and then evaluate.
Giro and Vuelta leaderships next year are wide open. There's Konig, Landa if he signs, Poels seems to have thrown his hat into the ring, maybe Henao.
The problem of course is how much riding Giro or Vuelta as leader will impact his Tour performances. He is Froome's #1 guy now.0 -
Reminds me of Kelly perhaps without the top end sprint (no slouch though), or, ahem, professional habits. All round hard rider, always at the front, who can win on all terrains and at all seasons. Possible GT contender in an earlier, slightly less specialised era, but has definitely matured into a potential classics winner. I hope he makes the big breakthrough in a monument next year, but for some people this never happens.0
-
Winning in Roubaix tbh.
Just needs some luck, as with every classics rider.It's not so much about winning, I just hate losing.0 -
I think some people need to get real. Geraint Thomas is a great rider but do you seriously think he could challenge the likes of Froome, Contador, Quintana and Nibali over a three week grand tour? I think he's being flattered at the moment by Sky's general performance and obviously below par performances from Contador and Nibali et al.
I was only pondering the question, but if Hesjedal can win one, then yes why not?0 -
If, and it's still a huge if at this point, he can climb for the entirety of the race alongside the likes of Valverde, Rolland, Gesink (the riders that surrounded him yesterday) he absolutely needs to try and win a GT.
In an ideal world you'd have him contending from Omloop, through MSR, all the way through Lombardia. He can be up there in them all.0 -
I think some people need to get real. Geraint Thomas is a great rider but do you seriously think he could challenge the likes of Froome, Contador, Quintana and Nibali over a three week grand tour? I think he's being flattered at the moment by Sky's general performance and obviously below par performances from Contador and Nibali et al.
One thing that strikes me is that I don't get the impression Thomas knows what sort of rider he really wants to be, and because of that I don't think any of us can be sure how good a rider he can be. If he was chucking everything into GC (or the classics) and falling short then we'd have a better idea, but at the moment he seems to be pretty reasonable at everything without necessarily threatening top dog status. If he settles on a single template then maybe we'd learn a little more.0 -
He's got a great engine. Sky have shown that they can turn that into a GC win, but i'm not sure G has the same capacity to focus on a goal and deliver it that Wiggins has. If he did, surely he'd have decided what kind of rider he wants to be by now. If he makes top 5 in this tour (big ask) i could see him knuckling down and focussing on GT's and winning one. If not, he needs to think 1 week stage races and classics - he could still retire with a hell of a palmares if he does.0
-
Little Pete was supposed to be Sky's GC man for the Giro last year until he had to pull out through illness. I see no reason why they wouldn't consider G. Not saying he's the next big GC rider, but it would be a worthwhile experiment.
Can't see him doing the Giro though as it's too close to the classics season.0 -
I've thought for years that Geraint Thomas' career has been mismanaged but he's an adult and ultimately it's his choices. If his goal was to make money and build an impressive palmares though he should have binned the track much sooner and settled on what kind of road races he wanted to win and then put a bit of pressure on the Sky management to lead the team in the way Froome did with grand tours.[Castle Donington Ladies FC - going up in '22]0
-
I'm a huge fan but have the following problems that make me doubt his chances as a GT rider:-
1. He's climbing well but can he climb well enough when being put under pressure as a leader day after day? Yes, he was up there yesterday on an HC finish and looked comfortable today but there's far less pressure when you can swing off having done your job when the real racing starts.
2. He's a very good time triallist but nowhere near the level of Wiggins who could gain enough time that he could then ride a high tempo, steady, defensive pace in the mountains.
Given the above I can't see where he gains sufficient time over his rivals. With the right course and set of rivals who knows? The Vuelta is likely to offer the chances in terms of quality of contenders but the terrain is likely to be less suitable and he'd probably need to miss the Tour to be in peak condition. I'd say Sky have 2 or 3 other more likely options between Froome and G.
I'd much rather see him go for some Monuments instead. P-R, RVV and possibly even MSR or Amstel with its new finish could all offer him chances. GTs are passé now, it would be nice to see a Brit win PR or RVV.0 -
Richie Porte was in a similar position 12 months ago and for a variety of reasons, it didn't work out.If, and it's still a huge if at this point, he can climb for the entirety of the race alongside the likes of Valverde, Rolland, Gesink (the riders that surrounded him yesterday) he absolutely needs to try and win a GT.
In an ideal world you'd have him contending from Omloop, through MSR, all the way through Lombardia. He can be up there in them all.
You have to be a team leader to be the GC contender, you have to take the responsibility and pressure of being the key man, does G want that, can he handle it? I'd love to see G go for it, but with Froome probably having 2-3 TdF's left in him, G would probably have to leave Sky.'Performance analysis and Froome not being clean was a media driven story. I haven’t heard one guy in the peloton say a negative thing about Froome, and I haven’t heard a single person in the peloton suggest Froome isn’t clean.' TSP0 -
-
Kinda makes more sense for G to move on and Sky bring in the Yates boys to support Froome, I can't see how Sky can met each's expectations otherwise?'Performance analysis and Froome not being clean was a media driven story. I haven’t heard one guy in the peloton say a negative thing about Froome, and I haven’t heard a single person in the peloton suggest Froome isn’t clean.' TSP0
-
I'm a huge fan but have the following problems that make me doubt his chances as a GT rider:-
1. He's climbing well but can he climb well enough when being put under pressure as a leader day after day? Yes, he was up there yesterday on an HC finish and looked comfortable today but there's far less pressure when you can swing off having done your job when the real racing starts.
I was going to make this point. We don't really know how Thomas would react to being a GC rider for three weeks. He looks good in one week races and in setting a tempo on a section of the climbs for his leader but it's not the same as having to defend and attack his rivals for three weeks.
Personally I think that if the Giro organisers persist with having a 50k TT and the field remains relatively thin then he could definitely podium. I would much prefer him to win one of the cobbled monuments though.0 -
Quite a relevant post but I dug this post up from 5 years ago! Are we still going to be saying the same thing about G in 5 years time?I actually thought he may be a future Tour contender before the race and the first week gave me hope but his climbing wasn't even as strong as I hoped. definitely a future classic winner and maybe an outsider for a shorter stage race but I don't think he's going to be a GT contender.Pinno, מלך אידיוט וחרא מכונאי0 -
He's this decade's George Hincape.
I was going to write the same thing when I finished reading the two current pages but you beat me to it.
Why shouldn't G be happy going for the Spring Classics, the odd week long Tour and Super Domestique (Road Captain) for the Tour. He seems so suit the role down to the ground.Coach H. (Dont ask me for training advice - 'It's not about the bike')0 -
He's this decade's George Hincape.
I was going to write the same thing when I finished reading the two current pages but you beat me to it.
Why shouldn't G be happy going for the Spring Classics, the odd week long Tour and Super Domestique (Road Captain) for the Tour. He seems so suit the role down to the ground.
My thoughts too, I hope he's not too much like George though.0 -
Think G is very similar to Brad in that if he was to ride the Vuelta/Giro for GC he'd need a very strong team, a course that suited him and a weak-ish field to win.0
-
Yates boys already told Sky no thanks - they have no desire to ride in the Sky mountain train.Kinda makes more sense for G to move on and Sky bring in the Yates boys to support Froome, I can't see how Sky can met each's expectations otherwise?You only need two tools: WD40 and Duck Tape.
If it doesn't move and should, use the WD40.
If it shouldn't move and does, use the tape.0
