Geraint Thomas: ‘I’ll need some big training rides next week’

Geraint Thomas says he’ll need some big training rides to continue his preparation for the Tour de France after his crash.

The Welshman abandoned the Tour de Suisse after a crash on stage four, suffering a cut above his eye and being taken to hospital.

Team Ineos rider Thomas has since been given the all clear and will start the Tour de France next month.

He said in a tweet on Wednesday morning (June 19): “Thanks for all your messages. Gutted to leave the Tour de Suisse but luckily I’m all okay.

“I hit my head and needed stitches above my eye, so the doctors stopped me getting back on my bike.

“It just means I’ll need some big training rides next week now.”

Reigning Tour champion Thomas will lead the Team Ineos squad in France after four-time winner Chris Froome suffered a horrific crash at the Critérium du Dauphiné.

Froome crash at around 55km/h during a recon of the stage four time trial course, suffering fractures to his femur, pelvis, ribs and elbow.

He will not start the Tour, which means Thomas will need to step into the leadership role.

Thomas’s crash raised concerns that he might also be forced to scrap his plans for the French Grand Tour, but Team Ineos announced late on Wednesday night (June 18) that the 33-year-old was likely to start the Tour.

He now has less than three weeks of preparation before the biggest race of the year.

Thomas said: “Clearly it’s frustrating and a small setback for my Tour de France preparations, but there’s still plenty of time before we start in Brussels in a few weeks’ time.”

Team Ineos doctor Derick Macleod said it was necessary for staff to take Thomas out of the race due to the level of impact on his head from the crash. He added that they will monitor Thomas as he begins to return to training in the coming days.

Rival Tom Dumoulin has also been battling injury after he abandoned the Giro d’Italia last month.

Dumoulin (Sunweb) suffered a wound to his knee that he has not fully recovered from, most recently skipping an altitude training camp planned ahead of the Tour.