Geraint Thomas pulls out of National Championships

Geraint Thomas has withdrawn from this week's National Championships to give himself sufficient time to recover ahead of the Tour de France in July.

The Welshman, who won the British title in 2010, finished second overall in the Tour de Suisse on Sunday, losing out to Katusha's Simon Spilak by five seconds.

And with the effort exerted in the Swiss race, Thomas and Team Sky decided it would be best to pull out of both Thursday's time trial and Sunday's road race in Lincoln.

"Sadly, the call has been made to not compete at the Nationals this week," he wrote on his Facebook page. "It was a really difficult decision to make with the team, but it was felt that resting at home this week would be best. After such an intense week at the Tour de Suisse, both mentally and physically.

"I'll miss racing at the Nationals, I love racing them. Winning in 2010, is still one of my proudest moments.

"To wear the British champs jersey all year was a massive honour. Good luck to the rest of the Team Sky boys!"

Thomas's Team Sky colleagues Ian Stannard, Luke Rowe and Andy Fenn are all still scheduled to race in Sunday's road race.

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