CyclistI still believe this team can get back there: Geraint Thomas profileGeraint Thomass professional career started in 2007, just four years after helmet-wearing was made mandatory. Nearly two decades on, with the 2024 Grand Tour season underway, its testament to his longevity that hes still seen as a podium contender in every race he starts.Resilience, durability, strength of character these are the traits that are now associated with him. When it comes to commitment to the Ineos Grenadiers cause, theres no doubting Thomas. Right now though, hes warming to his theme of those pesky kidsI dont want to sound like this old guy thats berating the younger guys all the time, the 2018 Tour de France winner says as he relaxes one evening midway through the Tour of the Alps and before the start of the Giro dItalia, where hell go on to finish third, but I just feel like riders turning pro straight out of the juniors, or whove done one year [as a pro], they still need more of an apprenticeship.Theyre super athletes, theyve got super talent, they do all these watts bravo! he says sardonically of the endless stream of young talents now buzzing around at the front of the bunch. But they dont necessarily understand how to race, in the peloton, close to each other at those speeds. That adds a bit more of an element of danger to it all.Danger has been a buzzword again in pro cycling this spring, less than a year after Gino Mders death in June 2023 prompted much soul-searching over the extreme risks taken almost every day by the peloton. A flurry of bad crashes in April, including a horrific wipe-out in the Tour of the Basque Country that took down Jonas Vingegaard, Remco Evenepoel, Primo Rogli and Jay Vine among others, have again rung alarm bells.Thomas, unlike some, is keen not to point the finger of blame, emphasising that there is a collective need for everyone riders, organisers, officials to take responsibility to do more to protect the peloton.Its frustrating. Look at other sports safety aspects F1 or whatever, he says. Youre on closed circuits and its a lot more controlled. This sport is just totally different.After the Basque Country catastrophe, almost everyone with a smartphone weighed in on what needed to change. A chicane was hastily added to the approach to the Arenberg, the most dangerous section of cobbles at Paris-Roubaix. Some blamed the behaviour of rivals, while others lambasted SafeR, the UCIs own safety initiative. Thomas chooses his words carefully.Everyones talking about safety now, because big-name riders have crashed, but it has been happening for years.Actions not wordsOne of those who did point fingers was UCI president David Lappartient, who stated that 50 per cent of the crashes are down to what he called the attitude of the riders. Thomas was not impressed, even if he accepts that some riders do take too many risks.I think Lappartient needs to focus more on the 50 per cent that he can affect, then, Thomas said at the time. I agree with what he says but it just doesnt make sense to me even saying it. That means 50 per cent is still down to him and organisers to do everything they can.Thomas knows the stakes are getting higher and the expectations of riders are forever increasing. Meanwhile, safety measures have failed to keep pace with gains in technology and performance.Nutrition, training, equipment he says, were just going faster. Everyone is so keen and wants to get a result. Its a vicious circle. Then theres road furniture; roads are busier these days so theres traffic-calming, kerbs sticking out, all that kind of stuff. That adds an element of danger as well.He admits that if he pauses to think during a race, it scares him.If I thought about it, Id be at the back of the peloton. You wouldnt be racing you couldnt do it.So much could be done, not just from an organisers point of view but from a rider point of view. We all know when youre younger youre a bit more carefree. When you get a bit older you realise its just not worth it.Asked if becoming a father in 2019 had an impact on his mentality, he ponders the question, then says, Maybe a bit. You realise theres a time and a place. If youre on for winning Milan-San Remo, say, youll take a couple of extra risks coming down the Poggio. I still wouldnt be as much on the limit as Matej Mohori was when he was almost on the deck twice going down there. Im past that now.At least on that race everyone knows the descent. But on a race like this in the Alps, 90 per cent of the guys wont know the roads. Youre going down these descents, flying down them. I was talking to Adam Hansen [president of the CPA riders union] and we were saying that if this was a new sport, theres no way it would be allowed. But just because of the tradition and the, Oh, its always been this way well, its not an excuse anymore, is it?Two days after we speak, Chris Harper of Jayco-AlUla crashes on a fast downhill and slides, sickeningly, head-first into the base of a lamppost. The Australian lay motionless but then thankfully sat up after being tended to by horrified spectators. Harper suffered only superficial injuries and a concussion. It was another lucky escape. Related Posts Opinion: How to fix the Tour de France Paris 2024 Olympics Cycling: Events, schedule, TV guide and everything you need to know The 21 best photos from the Tour de France 2024 Everything leads towards the Olympics: Josh Tarling Q&A Lone voice, team playerAs he edges into his late thirties, Thomas has become more opinionated and provocative than when he was racing in the tightly controlled, highly scrutinised hothouse of Team Sky. Ironically, in the time since his team sponsor morphed from broadcasting mogul to petrochemical giant, his own media profile has grown. His forays into creating content for his podcasts and headlining in his off-season stage shows have all made him seem that bit more comfortable in the public eye.Thomas makes joshing references to the latest crop of little bastards, as he refers (affectionately) to the likes of Evenepoel, coming through all around him. But there are also those he regards with disdain, such as Nairo Quintana, now making yet another comeback at Movistar after some difficulties with the anti-doping authorities.This spring, Thomas and his teammate Luke Rowe hastily edited out some disparaging comments about the Colombians ethics after their jibes in a podcast went down very badly with Quintanas hordes of fans. Given his teammate Egan Bernals nationality, it was a rare misstep for Thomas, who has handled himself well throughout much of his career.But then Ineos Sport is a far broader church than Team Sky and Thomas knows it: Its pretty cool to be in the same circles as F1 racing, Manchester United, [Americas Cup] sailing, he says, before adding, You can take bits from everything. I think thats something to capitalise on.He realises too that professional cyclings brutal nature makes it one of the most demanding of sporting environments. Its one of the sports that is the most professional, he says. I think cycling has been ahead of most sports really. Obviously its all about being physically as fit as you can be, so all those cornerstones of the sport you have to manage them well and have a really scientific approach.A lot of those principles you can take with you elsewhere, he adds, especially guys like Dave [Brailsford] and Rod [Ellingworth]. They love cycling but at the same time theyre so hungry. Guys like that need a challenge the whole time.Of course, Thomas is the last man standing of The Team that Dave and Rod Built back in the early noughties with Lottery funding, a competitive academy programme and a fierce ambition to make cycling a mainstream British sport. His most longstanding mentor, Ellingworth, left Ineos Grenadiers suddenly at the end of last season, a dramatic departure that Thomas described as gutting and surprising. Ellingworth took up a role as race director at the Tour of Britain in March this year, but he and Thomas stay in touch.He sends me the odd message. Were still in contact, Thomas says. I was disappointed to see him go, but I get the reasoning.Dave thats Brailsford of course is still working with Thomas as head of Ineos Sport, but has a more distant relationship with the cycling team now that he is immersed in the rejuvenation of Manchester United.I get the impression Dave still massively misses the team, Thomas says. Its his baby really he started it. Hes still really passionate about the sport and still massively involved. He gives me a ring every now and then, but just has a lot of other things going on.Thomas maintains that Brailsfords distance does not mean that the teams Grand Tour ambitions have dimmed. Another Tour de France win, he says, is top of team owner Jim Ratcliffes objectives.Jim really wants to win the Tour. Fair play that is the ultimate and thats what were trying to do. In my opinion the whole team can develop and move forward in other ways, and then build towards that again. It might take a couple of years but I still believe this team can get back there.So Ratcliffes interest is all about winning the Tour again with the team formerly known as Sky?Not necessarily with Jim, but it filters down and you hear talk of the Tour a lot from senior management. But with Jim hes not buying Man United just to qualify for Europe. He wants to win. Thats sport in general.Reliving the GiroFew who watched the final time-trial at Monte Lussari in last years Giro dItalia, in which Thomas was overhauled by Rogli, will forget the experience. The Welshman certainly hasnt, even though he has tried.It was hard, he admits of that afternoons reversal of fortune. You lead the Giro for half the race and then you lose by 14 seconds on the final day. Its a tough one. But then as [sports psychologist] Steve Peters would always say, Lifes not fair. Get on with it.It was a stage in which time appeared to stand still. Thomas made a bike change so unhurried that it almost took place in slow motion. An inspired Rogli, buoyed by a sea of Slovenians, sped upwards into the race lead. His Welsh rival, legs leaden with fatigue, churned helplessly towards an inevitable defeat.It was a tough and challenging moment, but for me it wasnt like I had a bad day or did anything drastically wrong, Thomas says. Rogli had a flyer and he deserved to win it. Its not like I lost it he won it.Thomas has ridden 21 Grand Tours in his long career. There have been other near misses, including five podium finishes in the past six years. The hardest to take, perhaps, was his runners-up spot in Paris in 2019, behind teammate Bernal. It was a result achieved despite a winter spent socialising following his Tour win in 2018.But regardless of his mixed fortunes in this seasons Grand Tours Thomas followed his podium finish at the Giro with a finish outside the top 40 in his 13th Tour appearance it would be foolish to dismiss his chances. He is wise and wily, canny and cunning, a great observer of racing with an eye for opportunity.Both the Giro and Tour, of course, were won in dominant fashion by Tadej Pogaar. Does Thomas see any weaknesses in the all-conquering Slovenian?Hes a racer and he just loves winning, but he can be a bit too keen at times and expend a bit too much energy.Pogaar, he adds, is getting older and wiser too, though.Im sure hes learned from some of his mistakes, Thomas says. When Tadej retires hes going to be one of the greatest of all time. Its a big challenge but its one were relishing.The best of Geraint ThomasRoad racing highlights of the first Welshman to win the Tour2007Signs for Barloworld and rides his first Tour de France, completing the race and finishing 140th overall2010Joins Team Sky and takes his debut pro win in a time-trial at the Tour of Qatar. Wins the UK National Road Race2014Takes the gold medal at the Commonwealth Games Road Race2015A strong spring Classics campaign is headlined by victory at E3 Harelbeke and third at Gent-Wevelgem2017Takes a first Grand Tour stage win and the yellow jersey in the Tours opening prologue in Dsseldorf2018Follows GC victory at the Critrium du Dauphin with two stage wins and the overall at the Tour de France2019Finishes second by 1min 11sec to teammate Egan Bernal in his Tour defence2022Wins the Tour de Suisse on the way to a podium finish at the Tour de France2023Loses out to Primo Rogli at the Giro by just 14 seconds after leading for much of the race2024Finishes third overall at the Giro dItalia, not dropping out of the podium places on GC from Stage 2 onwardsGeraint Thomas onDave Brailsford and Manchester UnitedIt is kind of strange when you see him on Sky Sports sat next to Sir Alex Ferguson or someone, but he loves it he loves a big challenge. He goes all in.One final OlympicsId love to do one more Olympics but I dont want to go and just get a tracksuit. I want to be good enough to be in with a shout of a medal. Ive got four tracksuits already I dont need another one.Riding both the Giro and the TourI wanted to go back to the Giro obviously, after last year. I really enjoy that race and obviously the Tour is the Tour. In the back of my mind Id always thought, Sod it, why dont I just try and do both? Related Posts Opinion: How to fix the Tour de France Paris 2024 Olympics Cycling: Events, schedule, TV guide and everything you need to know The 21 best photos from the Tour de France 2024 Everything leads towards the Olympics: Josh Tarling Q&A The post I still believe this team can get back there: Geraint Thomas profile appeared first on Cyclist.