Geraint Thomas says his gears jammed and threw him off the bike in Tour de France crash
A lucky escape for the reigning champion who avoided losing time after the fall


Geraint Thomas says that jammed gears caused him to crash in the 2019 Tour de France's 16th stage around Nîmes.
Team Ineos rider Thomas, as with his previous two crashes in this race, appears fine and unaffected by the tumble. He fell on his left side heading into a right-hand bend.
"I just had one hand on the bars and then the gears jumped and jammed," Thomas said coming to a stop after a sauna-like 177km stage 16.
"And I just got thrown off my bike basically on a corner.
"It wasn't ideal."
>>> Five talking points from stage 16 of the Tour de France 2019
Thomas fell on stage one and again with team-mate Gianni Moscon on stage eight.
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
"It was just such a freak thing. I'm all right," Thomas added.
The incident occurred with 129km kilometres to race, when Thomas's front wheel appeared to flick out from under him.
The Welshman bounced up and calmly mounted a new bike. After he re-joined the race, he saw the doctor.
"No [injuries], I just took off an old scar. So obviously it was new skin bleeding," he continued.
"I just saw [the doctor]. He just sprayed some water on me and stuff, and that was it. He just wanted to chat to me. It was all good."
Thomas has one more "calm" day to Gap tomorrow before the final mountain tests begin with stage 18. He sits shotgun to race leader Julian Alaphilippe (Deceuninck - Quick-Step), trailing at 1-35 minutes.
>>> Caleb Ewan sprints to second Tour de France victory on stage 16
Behind Thomas, four riders sit closely packed within 39 seconds. The crash happened at a bad time with more tough and hot racing ahead.
"I think it'll be another hot tough day tomorrow," Thomas said.
"I don't think [this will affect me for the mountains]. I feel fine. It's just a new new skin, like a new scar. That just came off so it looks worse than what it was."
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.
-
‘I got my first period in 15 years the morning of a big race, and didn’t know what to do’ — how pro racers deal with periods
Many female athletes have irregular periods or none at all - here’s my experience in getting a regular cycle back
By Sarah Sturm Published
-
'You just had to go full gas' - Matthew Brennan wins first WorldTour race on dramatic stage one of Volta a Catalunya
19-year-old Brit makes it four wins in a row
By Adam Becket 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