The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Thomas aims to show he is Giro contender
The 100th Giro d’Italia should hint at what the rest of Geraint Thomas’ career looks like.
The two-time Olympic gold medallist on the track converted himself to a road star with Team Sky, albeit one whose stand-out performances came in one-day classics.
But his role as a superdomestique for Chris Froome in the past couple of years has convinced Thomas he can be a contender in the biggest races of all, and his chance to prove it comes when the battle for pink starts in Sardinia tomorrow.
The 30-year-old Thomas heads to Italy with joint leadership of Sky alongside Spaniard Mikel Landa, and a chance to emulate Sir Bradley Wiggins in going from track star to Grand Tour winner.
“My preparation has gone really well and I’m ready,” said Thomas, who won the Tour of the Alps last month in his final tune-up.
As dominant as Sky have been in the Tour de France, their tilts at the Giro to date have all been ill-fated. Wiggins suffered crashes, illness and mechanical issues before withdrawing in 2013, Richie Porte was essentially knocked out of contention on stage 10 in 2015 after taking illegal assistance for a puncture, and Landa fell ill early in last year’s race.
But their team selection this year shows they are fully committed as Italian sprinter Elia Viviani was left out of his home race.
After Sardinia, the race will visit Sicily and Mount Etna before heading to the mainland, where the peloton will be asked to tackle famed climbs including the Blockhaus, Mortirolo, and the Stelvio (twice) before the finish in Milan on May 28.
Given the logistical challenges of long transfers between the islands and the significant wait between blocks of climbing, managing a general classification bid looks particularly difficult this year.
The man favourite to do it ahead of Thomas and all others is Movistar’s Nairo Quintana, the 2014 Giro winner who will race both here and in the Tour de France this year.