Geraint Thomas will not defend his E3 Harelbeke title in March, with his desire to transform into a Grand Tour contender necessitating his move away from one-day racing.
The Welshman showed his stage race potential last season with a win at the Volta ao Algarve and a sensationally strong ride at the Tour de France, leading many people to tip him as a future Grand Tour winner.
Last spring Thomas was tabbed as a future cobbled Classic champion after his performances at E3 Harelbeke and Ghent-Wevelgem - where he came third - but he says the Tour of Flanders will be his only cobbled race in 2016.
"It was not an easy decision, but as it looks now, I will ride the Tour of Catalonia rather than the E3-Wevelgem weekend," he said at the Tour Down Under. "The Tour of Flanders is basically my only cobbled classic and then we [got to train] on Tenerife, so I will miss Roubaix.
"Liège-Bastogne-Liège, on the other hand, can fit into my agenda. It will not be as fun a race as Harelbeke or Roubaix to follow on TV, but it's a sacrifice I have to make."
After his E3 win, Thomas went into Flanders as one of the favourites but could not break into the top 10 and did not finish in Roubaix seven days later.
After missing out on the Tour de Suisse title to Simon Spilak (Katusha) by five seconds, Thomas went on to flirt with a top-five finish in the Tour de France until the work for Chris Froome took its toll on stage 19.
"The first part of the Tour last year has opened my eyes. There lies my future," he added. "I was already the best in smaller stage races like the Tour of the Algarve or Bavaria.
"This year I want to shift my focus to tougher stage races like Paris-Nice or the Tour of Switzerland. And the ultimate goal is the Tour."
-
-
Effetto Mariposa releases its line of environmentally-friendly cleaning products
Best known for its torque wrenches, the Swiss-based brand seeks to lessen our collective environmental impact through its use of plant-based ingredients and replaceable parts
By Luke Friend •
-
Transport for London pauses new 'see their side' campaign after backlash against advert
TfL paused the campaign after facing a backlash on social media
By Tim Bonville-Ginn •
-
Meet Magnus Sheffield: Ineos Grenadiers' teenage American recruit who's not raced a bike much, yet intends on winning in his own fastidious way
A former skier, Sheffield has signed a three-year contract with the British WorldTour team
By Chris Marshall-Bell •
-
Geraint Thomas has bike stolen during training ride, later recovered by police
The Welshman had stopped at a cafe on the French Riviera when his bike was nicked
By Jonny Long •
-
'From the moment I left the team, I had in my head that one day I would come back': Elia Viviani returns to Ineos Grenadiers after four years away
The Italian sprinter has racked up a long list of wins and achievements since leaving the British team at the end of 2017
By Tim Bonville-Ginn •
-
Brit Ben Turner joins Ineos Grenadiers for 2022
The young British rider has come through a similar path to Tom Pidcock in cyclocross
By Tim Bonville-Ginn •
-
Omar Fraile signs two-year deal with Ineos Grenadiers
The Spaniard is the team's second signing of four rider announcements today
By Ryan Dabbs •
-
Ineos Grenadiers announce signing of German under 23 national road race champion
Kim Heiduk has signed for Ineos Grenadiers for two years
By Ryan Dabbs •
-
Geraint Thomas set to sign new deal with Ineos Grenadiers despite 'tough' negotiations
The Welshman's current contract runs out at the end of 2021
By Ryan Dabbs •
-
Tim Kerrison set to leave Ineos Grenadiers amidst management change
The British WorldTour team parts ways with head coach behind Wiggins, Froome and Thomas' Grand Tour wins
By Tim Bonville-Ginn •
