Geraint Thomas prepared Renewi Tour in All Inclusive hotel Mallorca: "I did everything, except cycling"

Among all the sprinters and classicists at the start of the Renewi Tour, Geraint Thomas is an ex-Tour winner. The man from Wales returned to competition again after his Giro-Tour combination, but don't ask how. IDLProCycling .com did anyway, and it provided—as always—frank anecdotes.

Thomas already gave an insight into his weeks after the Tour in his Watts Occurring podcast. "I'm not going to lie: I drank quite a lot of alcohol. I went to Majorca, in one of those all-inclusive hotels. I don't know if it's the British mentality, but such a buffet means more All You Can Eat for Brits. Everything has to be eaten," he laughs.

"The cocktails there were good too, that hotel was incredible....," Thomas continues. "Normally, you have to wait an hour for a new drink. But they kept asking if you wanted a drink here, so why not? You name the cocktails; I drank them all," laughed the man from INEOS Grenadiers.

And then suddenly, he found himself in Kanne, on the border of the Netherlands and Belgium, under a bridge. There, he spoke to the press about his unorthodox preparation. "I'm not looking forward to it. The Renewi Tour is the only race no one wants to do." Then we were curious why. "There is a lot of street structure, a lot of racing on narrow lanes, and it is constantly left and right. In addition, there are often a lot of sprinters and classic men, so there are a lot of candidates. I often competed in this, but that's long ago."

So why is Thomas in the Renewi Tour at all? We asked him. "Someone had to be here. I needed some race miles, but I didn't feel ready. It will still be tough, but it's good to be back with the team in every way. It's a shock to the system; sometimes you need that, too. We have a good team here, so I will commit to the guys anyway.2

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Thomas broke heart rate records in first ride of Renewi Tour

"I did everything except cycling," he laughed again about his preparation. "I did some pedaling, but not enough at all. Before the Renewi Tour, I did some tests, which was a big shock, like my heart pounding. But that's how it was planned: I get to spend time with my family after the Giro and Tour. I will pay for that now, but it's all worth it. At least you guys will still see me through the cameras behind the peloton."

At least in the opening stage, from Riemst to Bilzen, he could keep up with the peloton, but his heart struggled. Despite riding the leaden Giro and Tour, Thomas broke his 2024 heart rate records on the Belgian-Limburg roads in the following time frames: 5 seconds, 1 minute, 5 minutes, 10 minutes, 20 minutes, and an hour and a half. Talk about a shock to the system.

So, does he participate in this Renewi Tour in anticipation of next year, knowing he wants to take in the classics again? "We haven't decided whether I'll go for the Flemish classics or do the Ardennes again. Anyway, if the weather is good, there is always a good atmosphere at both."

In any case, Thomas wants to work on his physical condition. "This Renewi Tour might be my last race of the season, so it's good to get back into the rhythm without drinking and lying by the pool. Then I can also get on the bike a bit more after that and go into the winter in great shape because next season there is another big year waiting for me," said Thomas, who we are thus unlikely to see in action after Sunday in 2024.

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