Thomas out in the cold as he fails to dress for the part
GERAINT THOMAS could not provide a fairy tale on Hans Christian Andersen’s Boulevard after he forgot to take off his gilet for the time trial to begin the Tour de France.
He effectively rode the 8.2-mile prologue in a life jacket as the Tour’s Grand Depart took place in Denmark.
And despite a storming second half, the 2018 champion’s race against the clock was a bigger letdown than Andersen’s fabled Little Mermaid herself.
He finished 25 seconds off the lead and 18sec down on reigning champion Tadej Pogacar.
Thomas, below, said: “I forgot I had the gilet on. I zipped it up, all nice and snug, before the start and nobody spotted it.
“I was cornering like my wife – and she hasn’t ridden for 12 years.”
When he won the time trial prologue in Dusseldorf five years ago, rivals bickered about Thomas riding into the leader’s Yellow Jersey in a space-age blistered skinsuit.
But in treacherous conditions reminiscent of his glory in 2017 on the Grand Depart in Germany, they could not believe their luck.
In short, sharp time trials, every second and small aerodynamic advantage is critical, and Thomas, 36, may count the cost all the way to Paris.
He said: “It was cracking me and I did think about taking it off, but that would have been a bit dodgy. When I put the power down, I had plenty of it. But, mentally, it was one of the hardest time trials I’ve ever done.
“Everyone’s telling you to take it easy because there’s been a few crashes, but when I won in Dusseldorf it was just a nice, smooth line. This felt so bitty, stop and start, so when I heard the time gaps, I just thought, ‘Sod it, just race’ and I just took the pin out.
“The legs were good, but it’s a shame about the blinking gilet.
“I know I could have done better so it’s annoying and I always want more. At least I was warm, so I am not going to get a cold – maybe everyone else will get a cold now.” Huge crowds defied the squalls blowing in from Jutland.
Ineos team-mate, Tom Pidcock, the 22-year-old Olympic mountain bike champion, even undercut Thomas by a second on his Tour de France debut, and fellow Brit Adam Yates went 2sec faster.
The stage, and Yellow Jersey, went to Belgium’s Yves Lampaert, who beat compatriot Wout van Aert by five seconds, with Pogacar a further two heartbeats back.
Lampaert said: “I’m just a farmer’s son from Belgium.”
Today’s second stage, a 125.6-mile long haul from Roskilde to Nyborg, finishes with a crossing of the windswept Grand Belt Bridge.
If the wind blows, it might just be cold enough for some riders to wear a gilet.