The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Thomas braced for attacks on final mountain stage
Sky’s race leader expecting the worst and hoping for best
Geraint Thomas is braced for attacks from his rivals as he faces the final mountain stage of the Tour de France today.
Team Sky’s Thomas retained his one minute 59 second advantage over Team Sunweb’s Tom Dumoulin on yesterday’s flat stage to Pau — won by Frenchman Arnaud Demare — and immediately turned his attention to Stage 19.
An imposing route will take the riders over three-quarters of the so-called “Circle of Death” as they tackle the Aspin, Tourmalet and Aubisque on a 200km stage from Lourdes to Laruns, and fireworks are expected before tomorrow’s time trial provides the final sort-out in the general classification.
Thomas said: “We’re expecting the worst and hoping for the best. We’re expecting a lot of attacks straight from the gun, to go in the break or maybe on the Tourmalet halfway through and certainly on the last climb.
“It’s the last mountain stage and I think guys will try to take any opportunity they can. But in the back of their minds they have still got to have the time trial. They can do a big move and maybe gain two or three minutes and quite easily lose a chunk of time in the time trial.”
Thomas will have the rare luxury of having four-time Tour winner Chris Froome ride in his service after he slipped to third overall on Wednesday, declaring afterwards he is now all-in for Thomas.
“Obviously having Froomey at my disposal so to speak is phenomenal,” Thomas said. “But hopefully he won’t have to do much. It will be a big test (for me) but I think it’s more one for the team to control it most of the day. The last climb will be down to the legs.
“It will be good to just keep doing what we’ve been doing.”
Thomas was speaking at the end of what would have been a welcome flat stage from Trie-sur-baise, which was uneventful for the majority of its 171 kilometres. A sprint was always on the cards but the battle for position was wide open given that the field of quick men has been decimated in this race, with Mark Cavendish, Marcel Kittel, Andre Greipel, Dylan Groenewegen, Fernando Gaviria and Michael Matthews all having withdrawn at various points.
In the end, Groupama’s FDJ’S Demare was able to hold off Christophe Laporte, of Cofidis, and Alexander Kristoff, of UAE Team Emirates, to claim his second career Tour win and first this year.
● Three-time Olympic champion Ed Clancy has withdrawn from the Great Britain team for the European Championships that start next week in Glasgow.