Thomas amazed by van der Poel: "He should be arrested for that, he's so strong"

After his last Milan-San Remo, in which Geraint Thomas finished 110th, he moved on to the Tour of Catalonia, hoping for some sun after the rain in Italy. However, the British rider was less fortunate as the rain poured down on Monday during the first stage of the WorldTour race, in which he eventually finished in 71st place. After the stage, it was time for Thomas to record a podcast in which he looks back on the past few days.

"What terrible weather we had," the INEOS Grenadiers rider said, looking back on the first stage of the Tour of Catalonia. "I don't think I have ever suffered so much; it just wouldn't stop raining. I liked the course but was happy to return to my hotel room that evening."

Thomas saw his fellow countryman Matthew Brennan win the first stage and was enormously impressed. "It was really very impressive. Matthew had to do so much work on his own in the final kilometers, and the fact that he managed to pull it off is just incredibly impressive. When I rode my first Tour, he was just one year old. It's fantastic, and I think we'll hear much more from him."

Read more below!

Thomas enjoyed teammate Ganna immensely in Milan-Sanremo

Thomas knew immediately that Van der Poel was favorite

But back to Saturday, when the 38-year-old British rider rode his last La Primavera. "It was a great finale. Filippo Ganna did everything right and was incredibly strong, even in the sprint. But Van der Poel was so good that you could do nothing about it. But when you saw how these three riders rode, it was so impressive, and I am glad that Filippo did so well."

For Thomas, it was quickly clear who the big favorite was. "When you ride with Van der Poel to the finish line, you often know you don't stand a chance. His explosiveness is so good that he should be arrested for it, haha. But he was also extremely strong throughout the entire final, and when he attacked Pogacar at the top of the Poggio, you knew enough."

Read more below!

Thomas on the podium of the Giro

Thomas fell in love with the race in Italy

Thomas rode the Milan-Sanremo anonymously, but he still really enjoyed being at the start. "It was a bit unpleasant initially because the weather was terrible and quite cold. But I just thought: this is the last time I'll be riding this race; I will thoroughly enjoy it. And I certainly did; I enjoyed meeting the Italian fans. You can tell that the people on the side of the road love the sport so much; I didn't get that during the Tour de France."

Finally, Thomas also looks ahead to the upcoming Cobbled Classics, where he expects Pogacar to have a hard time. "If you see Van der Poel in this form, and maybe Van Aert is also in excellent shape, Pogacar will have a tough time in the upcoming races. The climbs are not long enough, and the bad weather can play a role; I see more opportunities for Van der Poel or Van Aert. But you never know."

Read also

Wuyts calls van der Poel one of the greatest: "He can complete a unique combo this spring"

Issue regarding Pogacar's outfit in Sanremo resolved: "He wasn't naked on the side of the road"

"Pidcock back in the mix," says Q36.5 amid Giro wildcard chaos: "Will be prepared"

Subscribe to our Newsletter

Get every week the latest news about CYCLING in your inbox!

Subscribe