Geraint Thomas appreciates the regulatory innovations introduced by the UCI. As announced a few days ago, the International Cycling Union has introduced a whole series of new rules and changes to the previous regulation aimed at improving the safety of riders while racing. From lowering the number of riders per team with the radio to moving back the neutralization in the final stages from 3 to 5 kilometers from the finish, the new rules will certainly have a major impact on how the races and the rider of the Ineos Grenadiers he is convinced that the changes will prove positive and will help reduce stress levels in the group.
During the podcast Watts Occurringorganized and managed directly by the Welshman and his teammate Luke Rowe they were among the first riders on the international circuit to have their say on the new changes. “The three kilometers become five kilometers. All right. In fact I have to say that I consider all the rules quite good”, comments Rowe, who is echoed by the winner of the 2018 Tour: “The radio experiment will take away a lot of stress. Teams that are good at studying the course and preparing, and teams with a strong team spirit, will benefit from these changes. It will be something very different, don’t you think?”.
More immediate than the regulatory changes is the Tour de France, in which the winner of the 2018 edition will participate with the task of alongside Carlos Rodriguez, Egan Bernal and Tom Pidcock after having already raced the Giro d’Italia as captain. Analyzing the favorites for the Grande Boucle, the 38-year-old also commented on the results of the recent Tour of Switzerland, saying he was surprised by the UAE Emirates dominance but confident in the possibilities of his teammates: “I have to apologize to Adam Yates. I had bet on Richard Carapaz, but UAE was truly incredible. They did a double in all the last four stages.”
As for his team, he still highlights the performance of Bernal and Pidcock: “Unfortunately Egan missed out on the podium on the last day, but he had a good performance. And Tom finished sixth. It was amazing to see him. He started well and improved constantly, I saw it well. This tendency to improve every day is an excellent sign“.
In conclusion, the expert climber from Ineos – Grenadiers also showed doubts regarding Mark Cavendish’s choice to participate in the Swiss stage race in which there have never been stages suited to his characteristics: “Mark doesn’t need to finish the Tour. He just needs to win once. The ending of the Tour is very difficult. He needs trust. Why go to Switzerland?”
