Thomas ready for Tour of Britain
london — Geraint Thomas will resume his crash-hit season at the Tour of Britain which starts this weekend, having recovered from a fractured collarbone that ended the Team Sky rider’s Tour de France.
Thomas was named in a strong Team Sky outfit on Wednesday that also includes Italian Olympic omnium champion Elia Viviani and fellow Welshman Owain Doull, who was part of Britain’s Olympic team pursuit squad that won gold in Rio last year.
Former world champion Michal Kwiatkowski of Poland, who triumphed at this year’s MilanSan Remo classic in March, and former world time trial champion Vasil Kiryienka of Belarus are also in the six-rider lineup.
The race begins on Sunday in Edinburgh, ending in Thomas’s native Cardiff on Sept. 10.
Thomas wore the yellow jersey for the first time at the Tour de France having won the opening time trial in Dusseldorf.
The 31-year-old’s race ended on stage nine, however, when he was caught up in a crash on the Col de la Biche descent.
He also had to abandon this year’s Giro d’Italia after a crash involving a police motorbike.
“The support from the British fans is always fantastic and it’s going to be great to race at home. We’ve got a strong squad coming and I’m really looking forward to it,” Thomas said.
“Coming back to Cardiff is going to be special and it’s something the Welsh guys have been talking about since the route was announced. I’m sure the fans will do us proud.”
Other teams are expected to announce their line-ups in the next few days. —