Geraint Thomas on Grand Tour leadership: 'It’s something I still want to give another go'
Team Sky's Geraint Thomas says that leading a Grand Tour team remains his primary objective.

Geraint Thomas at the 2017 Giro d'Italia (Sunada)

Geraint Thomas has confirmed that he still wants to ride a Grand Tour for Team Sky as leader, and that he hopes his mishaps in 2016 are behind him for good.
The Welshman was Sky’s co-leader at the Giro d’Italia alongside Mikel Landa, but a now infamous crash involving a police motorbike on stage nine put paid to both riders’ general classification hopes, with Thomas abandoning on stage 12.
He recovered to ride in support of Chris Froome at the Tour de France and won the opening prologue to take his maiden yellow jersey, but another crash on stage nine forced him out of the race.
Back racing at the Tour of Britain this week, Thomas is still eyeing leadership duties at a three-week race. “It’s something I still want to give another go,” he said.
“I feel like I am getting better each year and hopefully this year has got all the bad luck out of the way!
“I take a lot of confidence out of the fitness I had before the Giro – I was doing the best numbers I’d ever done and that gives you confidence in training.
>>> Two riders disqualified from Tour of Britain for riding on pavement to attack from bunch
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
“We’ll have to look at the race routes [for the Giro, Tour and Vuelta a España] before we decide what my race programme is going to be. But I’m already excited for next year.”
Thomas headlines Sky’s six-man team at the Tour of Britain, but he is mostly working on behalf of sprinter Elia Viviani, as well as regaining his race form ahead of the World Championships, where he has backed Ben Swift, Pete Kennaugh or Ian Stannard to potentially win.
There is a 10-mile time trial in Clacton-on-Sea in the Tour of Britain on Thursday, but Thomas has dismissed his own prospects against a field including the last two world champions in the discipline: Katusha-Alpecin’s Tony Martin and Sky’s Vasil Kiryienka.
“If I do good, that’s good, but there’s no real pressure,” he said. “I will get stuck in, and will go as quick as I can, but I won’t be good enough to win it, I have to be realistic.
“I’m still finding my legs. Riding at 300-400 watts is fine, but when it comes to the leadouts I’m struggling with that top end. It’s just nice to be back racing, and especially on home roads.”
Thank you for reading 20 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access
Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription
Join now for unlimited access
Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
A freelance sports journalist and podcaster, you'll mostly find Chris's byline attached to news scoops, profile interviews and long reads across a variety of different publications. He has been writing regularly for Cycling Weekly since 2013. In 2024 he released a seven-part podcast documentary, Ghost in the Machine, about motor doping in cycling.
Previously a ski, hiking and cycling guide in the Canadian Rockies and Spanish Pyrenees, he almost certainly holds the record for the most number of interviews conducted from snowy mountains. He lives in Valencia, Spain.
-
Could gravel learn a thing or two from MTB, when it comes to tyre choices?
Gravel riders are increasingly looking to mountain biking when it comes to tyre tech, grip, and real-world performance
By Neal Hunt Published
-
'You shouldn’t be riding 40mm tyres in a gravel race' — Dylan Johnson on tyre optimisation, wind tunnel testing and growing up as 'a weird kid who only cared about bikes’
Anne-Marije Rook geeks out with pro racer, cycling coach and YouTuber Dylan Johnson about the gravel racing tweaks that can make you faster
By Anne-Marije Rook Published
-
'An unprecedented opportunity for brands to be part of the evolution' - Ineos Grenadiers sponsor hunt steps up with sales agency partnership
Sportfive have been employed to find "non-endemic global partners for the team"
By Adam Becket Published
-
'We've all got a little bit extra in us this year' - Ineos Grenadiers recapture 'fighting spirit' with aggressive Paris-Nice display
British team continue to put tumultuous 2024 behind them with momentum and a new found mentality
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
Could a TotalEnergies deal be the end of Ineos Grenadiers as we know them?
Reports suggested this week that Ineos could be close to signing a deal with the French petrochemical firm
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
'They’re racing with their hearts again' - Robbie McEwen on Ineos Grenadiers' bright start to 2025
The British squad have already won four times in 2025
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
Ineos Grenadiers are entertaining so far this year, but how long will it last?
The British WorldTour squad have won four times already in 2025, but more than that, they have been fun. Is this the new dawn?
By Adam Becket Published
-
Caleb Ewan says he was put in a 'bad situation' by Jayco AlUla before he joined Ineos Grenadiers
Ewan joined Ineos Grenadiers in January after spending just one year with Jayco AlUla
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
'There's no bull****, that's what I've always liked' - Geraint Thomas's first BC coach Rod Ellingworth on the retiring Welshman
The 2018 Tour de France winner will step away from professional cycling at the end of the season
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
'It is time to change goals' - Egan Bernal's coach confirms Ineos Grenadiers exit
'I want to thank all the cyclists I have had the opportunity to coach over the past ten years' Xabier Artetxe says in LinkedIn post
By Tom Thewlis Published