Thomas to skip Giro to focus on Tour de France

GERAINT Thomas has confirmed he will miss the Giro d’Italia to be “in the best shape possible” for the defence of his Tour de France crown. Last year Thomas, 32, followed in the footsteps of Team Sky teammate Chris Froome and Bradley Wiggins, becoming the third Briton to win the Tour. “The Giro feels like unfinished business and I wanted to think about that,” Thomas was quoted as saying by the BBC. “Maybe

I’ll race it next year but this year has always been about the Tour,” added the Welshman, who was forced to withdraw injured from the 2017 Giro. Last month Thomas, who began his season in the Tour of Valencia on Wednesday, said the Tour de France was his key objective for 2019. “The main goal for me will be to go back to the Tour de France for the best result I can,” he said.