Tour de France: race leader Geraint Thomas prepares for war
Thomas and Team Sky teammate Chris Froome face stern challenges from the peloton and hostile fans
‘It’s going to be war’
The Tour de France gets going again today after a rest day and race leader Geraint Thomas has warned “it’s going to be war out there”.
The Welshman leads his Team Sky teammate Chris Froome by one minute and 39 seconds but the defending champion will fancy his chances of overhauling his colleague in the daunting mountains of the Pyrenees.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The pair will also face stern challenges from the rest of the peloton. They may also have to deal with hostility from race fans, a handful of whom have spat, slapped and jeered Team Sky as they’ve cycled through France.
Froome still believes he can emulate the great Eddy Merckx and win his fourth consecutive Tour title but Thomas has been the form rider thus far. During yesterday’s rest day in the southern town of Carcassonne he insisted they were buddies not rivals.
“We’re good mates,” said Thomas, when asked about his relationship with Froome. “We’ve ridden in the same team for a number of years now and we’ve generally lived in the same areas. We get on – for now, anyway.”
Never say die
Thomas praised Froome’s “mental strength and his never-say-die attitude”, two qualities that he will need to show in the coming days if he’s to enter Paris triumphant on Sunday.
Today’s 16th stage takes the peloton 218km from Carcassonne to Bagneres-de-Luchon, which contains two category one climbs and then a spine-tingling 10km descent to the finish line.
As The Guardian says, given his position Thomas should be favourite to win the Tour, but he has never finished higher than 15th in a three‑week tour and has a “persistent reputation for always having one ‘bad’ day”.
If there’s such a day this week expect Froome to make his move. But Froome swerved out of the way of such questions yesterday. “All this talk of attacking or not attacking… we’re in an amazing position, we’re one and two,” he said. “It’s not up to us to be attacking. It’s for all the other riders in the peloton to make up time on us and dislodge us from the position we’re in.”
Confidence and belief
Thomas’s biggest test is likely to come on Friday, a 200km stage from Lourdes to Laruns that asks the riders to climb the legendary Col du Tourmalet and Col d’Aubisque.
For the Welshman it will be as much a mental as a physical test given what has happened in previous Tours. “I had lots of bad luck,” he said. “But here I have won two mountain stages back to back, which is nuts for me, so I’ve got more confidence and belief.”
Has Thomas allowed himself to dream of glory in Paris? “Obviously the closer you get, the more you want to stay on the podium,” he said. “But winning is still not something I’m really thinking about.”
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Today's political cartoons - November 2, 2024
Cartoons Saturday's cartoons - anti-fascism, early voter turnout, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Geoff Capes obituary: shot-putter who became the World’s Strongest Man
In the Spotlight The 'mighty figure' was a two-time Commonwealth Champion and world-record holder
By The Week UK Published
-
Israel attacks Iran: a 'limited' retaliation
Talking Point Iran's humiliated leaders must decide how to respond to Netanyahu's measured strike
By The Week UK Published
-
Tour de France: a return to the glory days?
A stellar line-up of contenders looks set to provide a vintage race
By Richard Windsor, The Week UK Published
-
Mason Greenwood: footballer arrested on suspicion of rape and assault
Speed Read Man Utd confirm the striker will not train or play until further notice
By The Week Staff Published
-
Handball: swapping bikini bottoms for tight pants
Speed Read Women competitors will be required to ‘wear short tight pants with a close fit’
By The Week Staff Published
-
Cristiano Ronaldo’s second coming
Speed Read Last week, Manchester United re-signed the forward on a two-year deal thought to be worth more than £400,000 a week
By The Week Staff Last updated
-
Mark Cavendish: cycling’s greatest sprinter of all time
Why Everyone’s Talking About Crashes, illness and injury couldn’t stop the ‘Manx Missile’ as he equalled Eddy Merckx’s all-time record at the Tour de France
By The Week Staff Published
-
Bank holidays and boycotts: are MPs trying to jinx England?
Speed Read Declaring a bank holiday would be ‘tempting fate’, says Boris Johnson
By The Week Staff Published
-
Weightlifting: Olympic Games set for transgender first
Speed Read New Zealand weightlifter Laurel Hubbard will make history at Tokyo 2020
By The Week Staff Published
-
Sport shorts: Champions League expansion plan to be agreed
Speed Read News and reactions from the world of sport, featuring Joachim Low and the Lions women’s team
By Mike Starling Published