Thomas berates himself for time-trial gillet gaffe
Welshman loses vital seconds after costly blunder at start ‘Broken bones and dreams shattered’ prediction for today
So much for Ineos Grenadiers’ famous marginal gains. A bizarre gillet gaffe cost Geraint Thomas precious seconds in yesterday’s opening-day time trial at the 109th Tour de France in cold, soggy Copenhagen. The Welshman forgot to take his off before descending the start ramp for his 13.2km effort against the clock, losing aero efficiency.
Thomas was also angry with himself for his timid cornering, joking afterwards that he rode like his wife – “and she hasn’t ridden a bike in 12 years”. At least he stayed upright, giving up only a handful of seconds to his general classification rivals.
With the wet, windy weather set to continue, there are predictions that one of the main GC contenders could lose the Tour de France today.
Stage two is a frankly evil-looking 202.2km ride along the Danish coast, with crosswinds very likely to wreak havoc.
The stage ends with a crossing of the Great Belt Link, 18km of link bridges, completely exposed to the elements, connecting the eastern and western parts of Denmark. “It will be crazy,” Brian Holm, the Quick-step Alpha Vinyl sporting director and a local of these parts, told Eurosport.
“I expect many broken bones and some GC hopes shattered already,” added former rider Jens Voigt. Nothing like easing into a Tour de France gently.
In truth, the storm clouds had already gathered ahead of yesterday’s prologue. Thursday’s dawn raids by Danish police on Bahrain
Victorious, just days after Europol conducted a series of similar raids on key figures and riders within the team as part of a long-standing French doping investigation, lent the opening prologue a slightly sombre feel. The wet weather did not help.
In the event, and despite the slippery roads and standing water, no one did too much damage.
Yves Lampaert (Quick-step Alpha Vinyl) was the unexpected first recipient of the yellow jersey, beating countryman Wout van Aert (Jumbo-visma) into second place by five seconds.
The GC contenders all stayed upright. Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) confirmed why he is the overwhelming race favourite by taking third on the stage at seven seconds, three seconds faster than world time-trial champion Filippo Ganna (Ineos Grenadiers). Pogacar’s handling through the corners was beautiful to watch, unlike Thomas’s.
The Welshman finished 25 seconds behind the stage winner, 18 seconds adrift of Pogacar and 10 seconds and nine seconds behind the
Jumbo-visma pair of Jonas Vingegaard and Primoz Roglic. Far from a disaster, but he was not happy with himself. “That was, I think, the worst first half of a time trial I’ve ever done,” he said. “The first few corners I cornered like my wife, and she hasn’t ridden a bike for 12 years. It was unbelievable. Then I realised I still had my gillet on.
“I had zipped it up nice and snug and didn’t realise. The guy at the start didn’t notice. Not that it was his fault. But I went through that first time check and I was like 18 seconds down or something. I took the pin out then, and I went all right.”
Thomas could at least console himself that the “legs felt good”. Adam Yates, his team-mate and coleader, had a slightly better day, finishing three seconds ahead of Thomas in 13th place, while Tom Pidcock, riding in his first Tour, produced a great effort, coming in 15th.
Today’s test along the Danish coast, ending with the third-longest suspension bridge in the world, will be a baptism of fire for Pidcock. Even gnarled Tour veterans are quaking in their cycling shoes.