Geraint Thomas: Being joint leaders takes pressure off me and Mikel Landa at the Giro
Team Sky rider believes the partnership he’s established with his teammate at the Tour of the Alps will pay dividends at the Giro

Thomas and Landa at the Tour of the Alps (Foto Mosna)
Geraint Thomas believes that going into the 100th Giro d’Italia in a fortnight as Team Sky’s joint leader with Mikel Landa will benefit both riders when they take on race favourites Vincenzo Nibali and Nairo Quintana.
The Welshman says the Giro will ultimately make “a natural selection” when it comes to deciding which of them might ultimately challenge for the maglia rosa.
>>> Giro d’Italia 2017 route: maps and elevation for every stage
“It’s great to go in with a couple of options. It takes pressure off both of us knowing that the other guy is there as well,” Thomas said after retaining his lead on the penultimate day at the Tour of the Alps.
“Hopefully, this year we can do a bit better than the last couple of years and at least finish.”
The Welshman also believes the Tour of the Alps has helped Sky’s Giro leaders form a good partnership within a six-man team that has looked an extremely strong unit throughout four days of hard racing.
“I guess at the Giro it will be similar to how it’s been here. We’ve both had our chances. When it comes to the final week it will be obvious which one of us is stronger. I think there will be a natural selection then,” he said.
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
Thomas admitted he has been keeping an eye on how Sky’s prospective Giro rivals have been performing, but insisted that he doesn’t obsess about this.
“At the end of the day, they’re going to be good and, for me, they’re going to be the two favourites for the title,” he said.
“I’ve not seen how Nibali is going at the Tour of Croatia, but he doesn’t really show too much in a lot of the races before Grand Tours.
"I’m sure, though, he’ll be phenomenal in that last week, so I don’t try to read too much into that and just try to focus on myself. I just want to get there in the best shape I can and then race in the best way that I can.”
Asked whether he is concerned about bad weather derailing his Giro challenge as it did the hopes of Bradley Wiggins in 2013, Thomas responded: “I don’t necessarily enjoy bad weather, but I don’t really mind it.
“I grew up in Wales and, I don’t know if you’ve been there, it rains all the time. I’m a totally different rider to Brad. I just get stuck in, give 100% every day and hopefully that will get me a decent result.”
Thomas agreed that this year’s Giro field is shaping up as one of the best of recent years, despite the injury-enforced absence of former winner Fabio Aru. “There’s lots of strength in depth,” he acknowledged.
“I also saw today that Simon Yates has switched to the Tour, but it’s still an extremely strong field. I’m really looking forward to it now. I’m looking forward to going home on Friday, having a nice week at home and then away we go…”
Thank you for reading 20 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access
Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription
Join now for unlimited access
Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
Peter Cossins has been writing about professional cycling since 1993, with his reporting appearing in numerous publications and websites including Cycling Weekly, Cycle Sport and Procycling - which he edited from 2006 to 2009. Peter is the author of several books on cycling - The Monuments, his history of cycling's five greatest one-day Classic races, was published in 2014, followed in 2015 by Alpe d’Huez, an appraisal of cycling’s greatest climb. Yellow Jersey - his celebration of the iconic Tour de France winner's jersey won the 2020 Telegraph Sports Book Awards Cycling Book of the Year Award.
-
“I feel proud racing guys I used to watch on TV” says French teenage sensation Paul Seixas after climbing to 6th in Critérium du Dauphiné GC
As Romain Bardet prepares to bow out, 18-year-old Paul Seixas looks well prepared to take up his stage racing baton
-
Tadej Pogačar: I didn’t like Visma’s dangerous tactics on the Croix de Fer descent but that’s modern cycling
Pogačar unhappy with rival team's approach during Critérium du Dauphiné's queen stage, as Jonas Vingegaard says “I hope that this race can help me get better"
-
Geraint Thomas named on start list for final British National Championships
Ineos Grenadiers rider among WorldTour talent expected to compete in Wales
-
Tour of Britain Men aims for Cardiff finish to pay tribute to Geraint Thomas in final pro race
Sources say planned route will travel over Caerphilly Mountain and include finish near Cardiff castle
-
Would Dave Brailsford returning to Ineos Grenadiers be a good idea?
Reportedly on his way out of Manchester United back to a wider role at Ineos Sport, the old Team Sky boss might be back in the world of cycling
-
Geraint Thomas to move into management role at Ineos Grenadiers after retirement - reports
Welshman due to retire at end of 2025 but expected to stay with team
-
'I only found out I was coming to this race yesterday' - Sam Watson claims first WorldTour win in 3.4km Tour de Romandie prologue
Brit wins by just three tenths of a second to take leader's jersey
-
'It can really push me along' - How a velodrome comeback is making Caleb Ewan faster on the road
Australian says he'll "definitely" continue track work after rekindling passion
-
Could Caleb Ewan be Ineos Grenadiers' first Tour de France sprinter since Mark Cavendish? 'That's my goal'
"All I can do is try to win as much as possible and prove that I deserve to be there," says Australian
-
'An unprecedented opportunity for brands to be part of the evolution' - Ineos Grenadiers sponsor hunt steps up with sales agency partnership
Sportfive have been employed to find "non-endemic global partners for the team"