Geraint Thomas can be as good as Primož Roglič and Tadej Pogačar, says Ineos sports director
Thomas goes into the 2021 Tour de France as one of the pre-race favourites, alongside the two Slovenians
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Geraint Thomas can be as good as Primož Roglič and Tadej Pogačar, according to sports director Servais Knaven.
Welshman Thomas is one of the pre-race favourites to win the 2021 Tour de France, which starts in Brittany on June 26, alongside the Slovenian superstars Roglič and Pogačar.
The Ineos Grenadiers leader has been back to his best in 2021, winning the Tour de Romandie overall and finishing third in the Critérium du Dauphiné last weekend.
Article continues belowBut Thomas, winner of the 2018 Tour de France, faces a tough challenge from the two current biggest Grand Tour stars, Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) and Roglič (Jumbo-Visma), who both won three-week races last season.
Knaven, a former Paris-Roubaix winner and now Ineos Grenadiers sports director, told cycling website Wielerflits: “You should not underestimate Geraint Thomas. When he’s at his best, he’s not inferior to Pogačar and Roglič.
“Thomas is super-motivated, you could see that in the Tour de Romandie which he won in an impressive way.
“G realises very well that it could be one of his last chances to compete for the overall victory.”
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Ineos Grenadiers are expected to head to the Tour with the strongest team, as Thomas will be supported by the likes of Giro d’Italia winners Tao Geoghegan Hart and Richard Carapaz, along with veteran and overall contender Richie Porte.
But Ineos will go up against a strong Jumbo-Visma squad in support of Roglič, which will include Steven Kruijswijk, Sepp Kuss and Wout van Aert, while Pogačar is likely to rely more on his own ability than team strength in the mountains.
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Knaven said that Ineos need to use their team strength to overpower the dominant Slovenian pair: “Of course it is to our advantage if Pogačar is isolated. Overall, I think we do indeed have the best team with Richie Porte, Richard Carapaz and Tao Geoghegan Hart. If eight men remain in a mountain stage, there is a good chance that we will still be represented with three or four riders.”
Alex Ballinger is editor of BikeBiz magazine, the leading publication for the UK cycle industry, and is the former digital news editor for CyclingWeekly.com. After gaining experience in local newsrooms, national newspapers and in digital journalism, Alex found his calling in cycling, first as a reporter, then as news editor responsible for Cycling Weekly's online news output, and now as the editor of BikeBiz. Since pro cycling first captured his heart during the 2010 Tour de France (specifically the Contador-Schleck battle) Alex covered three Tours de France, multiple editions of the Tour of Britain, and the World Championships, while both writing and video presenting for Cycling Weekly. He also specialises in fitness writing, often throwing himself into the deep end to help readers improve their own power numbers. Away from the desk, Alex can be found racing time trials, riding BMX and mountain bikes, or exploring off-road on his gravel bike. He’s also an avid gamer, and can usually be found buried in an eclectic selection of books.