'The emotions are a bit raw' – Geraint Thomas eyes Vuelta after near miss at Giro

Geraint Thomas (Ineos Grenadiers) second overall at the Giro d'Italia
Geraint Thomas (Ineos Grenadiers) second overall at the Giro d'Italia (Image credit: Getty Images)

After three weeks and 3,356.8km of racing, just 14 seconds separated Geraint Thomas from winning the Giro d’Italia. As he reflected on his race behind the podium in Rome on Sunday evening, it was hard to tell what stung more, the margin of the defeat or the manner of it.

Thomas had carried the maglia rosa into the stage 20 time trial up Monte Lussari, and he initially looked to be fending off Primož Roglič’s challenge on the lower slopes of the climb. The upper reaches, however, proved an ordeal. The Welshman had deftly avoided crises across the three weeks of this race, only for his most trying moment to come right at the death.

Barry Ryan
Head of Features

Barry Ryan was Head of Features at Cyclingnews. He has covered professional cycling since 2010, reporting from the Tour de France, Giro d’Italia and events from Argentina to Japan. His writing has appeared in The Independent, Procycling and Cycling Plus. He is the author of The Ascent: Sean Kelly, Stephen Roche and the Rise of Irish Cycling’s Golden Generation, published by Gill Books.