‘ RACING IN YORKSHIRE IS ALL THE MOTIVATION I NEED'

After a brief break following the Tour de France, Geraint Thomas’s season has been focused on the Road World Championships, where his main target is victory in the time trial, he tells Peter Cossins

It is half past four in the afternoon, but Geraint Thomas sounds like he’s just woken up when he answers the call from Cycling Weekly. “Sorry, I forgot you were going to ring,” he says. “I’d dropped off for a bit. I’ve not long been home after travelling back from the Tour of Germany, and the racing there and the journey afterwards has taken a toll, to be honest.”

The weariness in the Welshman’s voice is evident and is, he admits, a symptom of his very different approach to the post-Tour de France phase of the racing season. Usually, he winds down steadily during August and September, having peaked for July. This year, though, he is building towards another major objective, with his sights now set on the World Championships in Yorkshire. He is, he admits, hoping to gain selection for the time trial and the road race, but it is the former that is his principal focus. “Training for that is what’s been getting me out of bed in the morning,” he says. “I’ve been keen to keep training because the Worlds are on home ground and as a consequence they’re a big goal for me.”

Following the Tour, Thomas had 12 days away from the bike. “It’s been quite hard to come back after that,” he confesses. “I didn’t think I’d feel as tired as I did, but maybe the build-up to the Tour took a lot more out of me than I actually realised.”

Feeling the pressure