Tour de France champion Geraint Thomas on Wednesday said that he can start his season this week with “no pressure” having finally made his big breakthrough last year.
The Team Sky rider dethroned teammate Chris Froome last year to become the third Briton since 2012 to win the Tour.
“It’s strange when you reach the pinnacle, something I’ve dreamed of doing, it takes all the pressure off now,” Thomas said in an interview with the BBC. “Now I’m just going to enjoy racing, riding my bike and the challenges that brings, but I’ve reached it now. I’ve done it.”
Photo: EFE
Despite saying he feels like he has “unfinished business” on the Giro d’Italia, where he crashed out in 2017 while in second place in the general classification, Thomas confirmed he would definitely miss the Italian race to concentrate on the Tour de France.
“Maybe I’ll race it next year, but this year has always been about the Tour,” he said. “I did not want to jeopardize the chances of the Tour for anything this year. As defending champion, I feel as if I have to go back and want to be in the best shape possible.”
Thomas got his season under way this week at the five-stage Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana in southern Spain — his first race since September last year’s Tour of Britain.
The 32-year-old said he would not be expecting much from the Spanish race as he gets up to speed.
“I’m in good enough shape to race, but I wouldn’t say I’ll be going for a podium or a win, it’s just a case of getting going again,” he said. “My initial goals are in April. I want to go to the Tour and get there in the best shape possible.”
Thomas opened his account at the Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana with a 13th-placed finish in the time trial.
“I could have ridden it a bit better and saved myself for that climb a little bit more, but that was a good hit out and same again for the next few days,” he said.
Japan’s Shohei Ohtani is the record-breaking baseball “superhuman” following in the footsteps of the legendary Babe Ruth who has also earned comparisons to US sporting greats Michael Jordan and Tom Brady. Not since Ruth a century ago has there been a baseball player capable of both pitching and hitting at the top level. The 30-year-old’s performances with the Los Angeles Dodgers have consolidated his position as a baseball legend in the making, and a national icon in his native Japan. He continues to find new ways to amaze, this year becoming the first player to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases
Zhang Shuai yesterday said that she nearly quit after losing 24 matches in a row — now the world No. 595 is into the quarter-finals of her home China Open. The 35-year-old is to face Spain’s Paula Badosa as the lowest-ranked player to reach this stage in the history of the tournament after Badosa reeled off 11 of the last 12 games in a 6-4, 6-0 victory over US Open finalist Jessica Pegula. Zhang went into Beijing on a barren run lasting more than 600 days and her string of singles defeats was the second-longest on the WTA Tour Open era, which
More than 180 years of horse racing came to an end in Singapore on Saturday, as the Singapore Turf Club hosted its final race day before its track is handed back to the Singaporean government to provide land for new homes. Under an overcast sky, the air-conditioned VIP boxes were full of enthusiasts, socialites and expats, while the grounds and betting halls below hosted mostly older-generation punters. The sun broke through for the last race, the last-ever Grand Singapore Gold Cup. The winner, South African jockey Muzi Yeni, echoed a feeling of loss shared by many on the day. “I’d
Francesco Bagnaia yesterday profited from a mistake by rookie Pedro Acosta to win the Japan MotoGP sprint and close the gap on overall championship leader, Jorge Martin. Spaniard Acosta crashed with four laps to go while leading the field at Motegi, allowing defending world champion Bagnaia to take first ahead of Enea Bastianini and Marc Marquez. Spain’s Martin finished fourth and saw his overall lead over Italian Bagnaia in the championship standings cut to 15 points. “I am very happy because with these conditions, it’s not very easy to win and gain points,” Bagnaia said after a sprint race that took place under
RSS