It was an image that struck fear in British cycling fans, especially with less than three weeks to go until the Tour de France. On Tuesday’s stage of the Tour de Suisse, with 60km to go, the television cameras cut to Geraint Thomas (Ineos Grenadiers), sitting on the floor and clutching his left knee.
Replays showed the Welshman crashed on a hairpin bend as the peloton bunched together on a descent. So tight was the corner, that Thomas fell almost in slow motion, grinding to a halt as he toppled onto the asphalt.
In his retirement year, the 39-year-old is hoping to make one final appearance at the Tour next month, seven years on from the edition he won. Suddenly, his participation looked thrown into doubt.
“I just hit a lip on the side of the road, really,” Thomas told reporters after the finish line. “It was my fault, but then I just kind of got my foot caught behind me and I just twisted all my knee and my hamstring – it was just a dead leg.”
After sitting on the floor for more than a minute, the Ineos Grenadiers rider was helped to his feet by a race doctor. He then slowly swung his leg back over his bike and continued down the descent.
Via the medical car, and with the help of three team-mates, Thomas was able to rejoin the peloton some 20km later.
“I struggled to bend it for the first minute or so, but then once I got on the bike and got rolling it freed up a bit,” he explained. “It’s just a bit sore – the muscles and stuff are a bit strained, but it’s all OK.”
Stage three of the Tour de Suisse was won solo by US champion Quinn Simmons (Lidl-Trek), who tore clear off the breakaway with 20km to go. In his post-race interview, the American dedicated his win to Gino Mäder, who died after crashing at the race two years ago.
Thomas finished 133rd on Tuesday, in a group more than 15 minutes down on the leaders. The Welshman is set to retire this year after September's Lloyds Tour of Britain Men, which is expected to finish in Cardiff, Thomas’s hometown, in tribute to his career.
The eight-stage Tour de Suisse continues on Wednesday with its first category-one mountain test. As it stands, Thomas is expected to start the stage.
