By Ian Gordon
Geraint Thomas knows his 13th Tour de France which starts in Florence could be his last – but he is looking to bow out with a bang.
The 2018 Tour champ is not ruling out adding to his tally of three stage wins even if another Yellow Jersey is probably beyond him.
“In the back of my mind, yeah, it could be my last, but I’m not thinking about that,” said the 38-year-old.
“I’ll just be focused on the race and what we’ve got to do, to be honest. I think I’ll look back once it’s all done.”
I’m ready son ✂️ #TDF2024 https://t.co/muLcMCZYGF pic.twitter.com/42dhF5md4W
— Geraint Thomas (@GeraintThomas86) June 26, 2024
Thomas, whose contract with INEOS Grenadiers runs until the end of next year, will play more of a support role this time for Carlos Rodríguez and Egan Bernal.
But with those previous Tours behind him, the Cardiff-born rider knows the next three weeks will be full of surprises with unexpected crashes, the vagaries of the wind and the toll from the mountain stages all playing a factor.
“I’m super excited to be here,” added Thomas of this year’s Tour which will finish with a time trail to Nice as Paris is hosting the Olympic Games.
“I missed it last year, doing a different programme. I did miss it. It’s the biggest bike race in the world.
“To be here with these guys, looking to be aggressive in the right ways, try and win some stages, and perform in the GC obviously, it’s exciting for me and what I dreamed of as a kid.”
“I think I’ll get the opportunity to go for a stage, but I think that can also benefit the guys riding GC as well.
“Potentially, I could be up the road and not necessarily have the legs for the stage, but then you’re up the road to help in other ways, you know? I think the two can work well together.
“Let’s be honest, there are other teams that have more of a weight to take of the race than us, and bigger favourites. I think we can race differently as well.
“It’s not like we’re going to just pull on the front one by one until there’s one guy left, because that’s just not going to happen.”
Thomas has not raced since finishing third on the Giro d’Italia, adding another podium finish in a Grand Tour to what is a stellar career.
Follow the Tour de France with us !#TDF2024 pic.twitter.com/SshHjp1rxj
— Tour de France™ (@LeTour) June 28, 2024
But coming off a two-week altitude camp in the Alps, he is relishing another crack at the world’s greatest race where he will be joined by fellow Welshman Stevie Williams who will be making his Tout debut for Israel Premier Tech.
“I definitely did some good work,” added Thomas of his preparations.
“Whether I did too much or not enough, I won’t know until we get going here. To this point, I’ve done everything I can to be in the best shape and help the guys.”