GERAINT’S A REAL TOUR DE FORCE
PAGES OF FANTASTIC START HERE Welsh ace is on brink after extending lead
GERAINT THOMAS is on the brink of winning his maiden Tour de France after finishing second to Primoz Roglic on stage 19 yesterday.
The Welshman extended his overall lead to 2min 5secs ahead of his nearest challenger Tom Dumoulin.
If he stays upright and rides today’s 19.2-mile time trial purposefully, Thomas will become Team Sky’s sixth yellow jersey winner in seven years.
On the anniversary of the London 2012 opening ceremony, Thomas admitted he had not felt such a sense of anticipation since the eve of his second Olympic time trial gold six years ago. He said: “It’s a bit like the night before the Olympic final in 2012, with all the tension of what’s to come tomorrow, but I can take confidence from the way I’ve been riding.
“Nothing is ever guaranteed in this sport, especially with me, and what will be, will be.
“But this was a big day, I needed to get it ticked off, and at least there’s no pressure on me to take too many risks in the time trial.”
In a gruelling five-and-a-half-hour shift in the saddle, which included the feared Tourmalet and Aubisque slopes, Team Sky’s powerhouse train disintegrated for once and Thomas had to tackle part of the final climb with no help.
A heroic effort from Colombian Egan Bernal rescued struggling four-time champion Chris Froome and gave Thomas some company on the home stretch after 125 miles of torture from Lourdes to Laruns.
Thomas coolly followed Dumoulin’s wheel and said: “It was squeaky bum time, as they say in the UK, but all I had to do was follow Tom.
“Now I just have to treat it as any other race and not think too much about the end game.”
Thomas was asked if he could reassure those people who trash cycling because of all the doping scandals.
“What can I say?” he said. “I do it the right way, the team do it the right way and we train super hard.
“There’s nothing I can say to prove it, but it will stand the test of time.
“The team is just phenomenally strong – it’s not just about having good legs but good heads.”