Thomas On Track As High Mountains Beckon

The Welshman showed his form and rode his luck before the onslaught in the Pyrenees, where the key to the yellow jersey lies

- Pete Cossins

The first half of the Tour de France provided more thrills and talking points than had been seen for many years in the great race — four stage wins for Jumbo-Visma, two yellow jerseys for Julian Alaphilippe and, in Thibaut Pinot, the emergence of an authentic French contender for the overall title. Defending champion Geraint Thomas, meanwhile, has showed that constant questioning of his form coming into the race was unmerited as he produced two impressive performances that underlined that he will not relinquish his Tour title without a fight.

Although much had been made of the Ineos leader crashing out prematurely from the Tour de Suisse and then losing five seconds to his young co-leader Egan Bernal in Epernay on day three, the Welshman’s beating of his rivals at La Planche des Belles Filles confirmed the belief among Ineos’s backroom staff that his form was good. The speed with which he made up the ground to the lead group after a tumble towards the end of the frantic stage into Saint Etienne offered further evidence of his condition and confidence.

“I wasn’t surprised by Geraint’s performance, but it was one of those moments in the race that’s a little bit of an unknown,” Ineos boss Dave Brailsford said the morning after La Planche. “When Geraint went, it was pretty exciting to see how strong he was, to be honest. Looking at his numbers afterwards and seeing where he’s at, he’s as good, if not better, than he’s ever been, I’d say.”