'It should be enough': Thomas takes confidence ahead of final Tour de France test on stage 20
Geraint Thomas confident of defending 2-05 lead in the Tour de France final time trial after extending lead on final mountain stage
Geraint Thomas (Sky) believes that the 2-05-minute advantage he has in the 2018 Tour de France "should be enough" for overall victory in two days in Paris.
Thomas survived the last big mountains on stage 19 in the mammoth climbing day over the Tourmalet and Aubisque to finish in Laruns. He leads Tom Dumoulin (Sunweb) and at 2-24 minutes, Primož Roglič (LottoNL-Jumbo) in third.
>>> Five talking points from stage 19 of the 2018 Tour de France
"Surely it is enough," Thomas said of his lead. "We'll see. It should be enough but we will see."
The Welshman faces the final 31-kilometre time trial to Espelette on Saturday against Dumoulin, the current world time trial champion, and Slovenian Roglič who is a very accomplished rider against the clock.
Coming out of Friday's test with a two-minute lead, Thomas could relax a bit. He faced multiple attacks from Dumoulin, Roglič and other rivals further down the overall classification when they climbed the Bordères and Aubisque.
"I will be a bit more relaxed but I still have to get through," Thomas said.
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
"It was a big day today. I needed to get that ticked off. It's a bit like an Olympic final, the day of tension. Obviously it comes down to tomorrow but I can take confidence from how I am riding."
The attacks today drew out Thomas, who marked Roglič and Dumoulin when helpers Froome and Egan Bernal drifted behind. However, he kept calm under pressure.
"I had to make him [Dumoulin] do everything. It's the first time I have seen him get a bit tired," Thomas added.
"I just put the pressure on Dumoulin to close. Tom wanted to attack me. I just stuck to Tom and made him close most of the gaps and it worked really well.
"I was able to respond to the attacks and the descent was fast. I never thought I was going to get dropped but it was hard for sure."
The only loss on the stage was to Roglič, who slipped ahead on the 20-kilometre descent and gained 19 seconds at the finish line. With the 10-second bonus, he also leaped ahead of Froome to move to third overall.
Thomas and the team must now rest before the "tough" time trial near the Spanish border town of Biarritz.
"It's certainly better than being two minutes behind," Thomas said. "It's a tough course but we'll see."
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
Gregor Brown is an experienced cycling journalist, based in Florence, Italy. He has covered races all over the world for over a decade - following the Giro, Tour de France, and every major race since 2006. His love of cycling began with freestyle and BMX, before the 1998 Tour de France led him to a deep appreciation of the road racing season.
-
'I used to be a bricklayer - I took a pay cut to become a cyclist': Brian Holm on his time in the peloton
The former Danish pro and well known sports director tells Cycling Weekly about his early days in cycling, including when he proved his school teachers wrong
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
Arnaud De Lie diagnosed with Lyme disease after pulling out of Spring Classics
Antibodies for disease found in Belgian rider’s blood
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
The art of peaking with Geraint Thomas: 'It’s easy to take for granted that 9 times out of 10 I hit my goals'
The Welshman also calls for better governance in the sport to help it grow further
By Chris Marshall-Bell Published
-
Ineos Grenadiers’ 500th victory was claimed by a woman; why do they still not have a team?
The British squad is one of the richest in cycling - but Ineos still won’t stump up for a women’s team
By Adam Becket Published
-
'This is so much more than a number': Six of the best Ineos Grenadiers wins as team claims 500th race victory
Pauline Ferrand-Prévot took the 500th team win at the weekend
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
Tom Pidcock 'wouldn’t be surprised' to see attacks before the Poggio at Milan-San Remo
British rider will lead the line for Ineos Grenadiers alongside Filippo Ganna
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
Ineos Grenadiers delighted with Egan Bernal’s late cameo on stage one of Paris-Nice
Colombian snapped up key bonus seconds in the general classification battle on run in to Les Mureaux
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
‘It doesn’t change anything’ - Tom Pidcock’s coach on Tadej Pogačar at Strade Bianche
Kurt Bogaerts says the pressure is off for Pidcock as he looks to defend the title he emphatically won last year
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
'Losing the plot in public - it's mental' - Geraint Thomas on Patrick Lefevere's criticism of Julian Alaphilippe
Ineos Grenadiers rider says he feels sorry for his peers who are criticised in public by the Soudal Quick-Step boss
By Adam Becket Published
-
Ineos Grenadiers say they will work with British Cycling to get Tour of Britain back on ‘as quickly as possible’
Ben Swift and Owain Doull both say it would be a "shame" were the Tour of Britain to be no more
By Adam Becket Published