In 2024, Geraint Thomas will aim for the Giro d’Italia and Tour de France. A challenging mission due to the presence of Tadej Pogacar in both competitions.
Thomas announced his dual mission on the social network Instagram and it didn’t take long for his friend and rival to send him an enigmatic message. “See you soon,” Pogacar said to Thomas. Now the Welshman has given his answer.
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“I would prefer if he wasn’t going,” says Thomas about Pogacar
“He’s Pogacar and I’d rather he wasn’t,” jokes the former Tour de France winner and runner-up in last year’s Giro d’Italia, to the British website GCN.
“But at the same time having him there is great. He will completely change the race and his team will take the brunt of the race and everything, but in the years to come he will have a great legacy as one of the greatest cyclists of all time.”
Despite being rivals on the roads, there is clearly immense respect between the pair. “Just being competitive with him and pursuing the same goal,” reveals Thomas. “At the end of the day, a lot can happen, go right and go wrong. I certainly know a lot about it. We’ll see. I’m looking forward to the challenge. It’s a big goal.”
Where does Thomas have the advantage?
When competing against each other in the 2022 Tour de France, both Pogacar (2nd) and Thomas (3rd) had to settle for the lower steps of the podium behind Jonas Vingegaard. If Thomas wants to get the better of the Slovenian at the Giro d’Italia, where does he have the advantage?
“He will be difficult to beat. We will have a strong team, it won’t be a super A team, but it will still be very strong. I’m not sure what the UAE will bring, but we will think a little outside the box and run the race”, anticipates Thomas.
“And it’s the Giro, so there’s the weather and the roads. There is always something that happens. We’ll see”, concludes the Brit.
