'Super skinny' Geraint Thomas suffers in Tour de Suisse cold
Geraint Thomas lost 51 seconds on the sixth stage of the Tour de Suisse, which Team Sky puts down to his Tour de France weight loss

A "super skinny" Geraint Thomas suffered in the cold of Thursday's Tour de Suisse sixth stage, according to Team Sky sports director Gabriel Rasch, and lost 51 seconds to the leaders.
Thomas slid behind the favourites group with two kilometres remaining, after another leader Tejay van Garderen (BMC Racing) had already lost contact. Wilco Kelderman (LottoNL-Jumbo) took over the lead and Warren Barguil (Giant-Alpecin) and Andrew Talansky (Cannondale) moved into second and third overall, respectively.
Thomas, who finished second overall in 2015, slipped from third to eighth. He is 56 seconds behind Kelderman with three stages to race.
"In the last two kilometres of the climb to Amden, he didn't have it," Rasch told Cycling Weekly. "He was disappointed about the stage. He didn't have the legs. It's as simple as that.
"It's the weather, the rain, the fog, the cold... Those things add up racing over the big cols because he's super skinny now for the Tour de France."
Show us your scars: Geraint Thomas
The Tour de France starts in two week's time. If the weather is like last year, riders will be suffering under the French sun and not shivering down descents.
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
Rasch does not know Thomas’s weight, but the 30-year-old Welshman will have dropped a kilogramme or two in his preparation to be Sky's second leader at the Tour. This year, he switched from a Classics focus to aim for stage races and specifically, the Tour de France. This spring, he has already won the overall of Portugal's Volta ao Algarve and Paris-Nice.
Sky sent Chris Froome to the Critérium du Dauphiné last week and gave Thomas his freedom in Switzerland. It is his last stage race prior to the Tour de France. The race finishes at 2669 metres on Friday in Sölden, features a time trial on Saturday and ends with a mild stage on Sunday.
"He dealt with the same stage pretty well last year on the same climb to 2700 metres, he was good. We have to try to gain back time," added Rasch.
"He's 56 seconds back now, but a lot can change still. He's only 30 seconds and some to Talansky on the podium. Is the overall win still possible? They are both possible, the podium and the win. In the big mountains the situation can change just like that."
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
Gregor Brown is an experienced cycling journalist, based in Florence, Italy. He has covered races all over the world for over a decade - following the Giro, Tour de France, and every major race since 2006. His love of cycling began with freestyle and BMX, before the 1998 Tour de France led him to a deep appreciation of the road racing season.
-
Watch America's 'toughest, richest' road race live: Levi’s GranFondo aims to restore the US road racing scene with live coverage
America’s best racers, on- and off-road, will vie for a $156,000 prize purse
By Anne-Marije Rook Published
-
‘Trump used me as a scapegoat’ - Trans cyclist Austin Killips slams the President for doing nothing to actually elevate, fund or support women athletes
‘They are cowards who don’t want to do the actual work of empowering and supporting athletes’ - Killips says
By Anne-Marije Rook 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
-
Geraint Thomas represented 'all the best things about the golden era of British Cycling' - tributes paid to retiring rider
Former and current teammates and other figures from within pro cycling react to the Welshman’s decision to retire at the end of the current season
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
Ineos Grenadiers win first pro race in 226 days as Michał Kwiatkowski triumphs at Clásica Jaén
It was the Pole's 32nd professional victory, and his first since 2023
By Adam Becket Published
-
'You can’t keep doing it forever' - Geraint Thomas confirms retirement at end of 2025
'It would be nice to go to the Tour one more time' Welshman says
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
No Paris-Roubaix or Tour of Flanders for Tom Pidcock as he confirms spring calendar
AlUla Tour winner set to ride Strade Bianche and Milan-San Remo for Q36.5
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
Egan Bernal wins first race since 2022 horror crash, Ineos Grenadiers win first race in 215 days
Bernal’s victory was also Ineos Grenadier’s first win in months
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
Ineos Grenadiers looking for second sponsor in order to return to 'super team' status
British WorldTour team to continue into 2026
By Adam Becket Published