With just over two weeks left until the 2024 Giro d'Italia, Geraint Thomas (Ineos Grenadiers) is ensuring he makes the most of his limited race time with 'another day of going deep' at the Tour of the Alps proving useful ahead of his Grand Tour ambitions.
Thomas was one of the first to animate the action on a thrilling final stage in Italy, attacking away from the peloton on the first ascent of the Palù del Fersina climb before he was joined by Giulio Pellizzari (VF Group - Bardiani CSF - Faizanè) and Hugh Carthy (EF Education-EasyPost).
The trio would last 20km in the breakaway before Lidl-Trek successfully absorbed them into the peloton to protect Juan Pedro López's GC ambitions. But Thomas was happy to make the effort before he settles down at home and begins his final push towards start of the Giro d'Italia on May 4.
"I just thought I'd give it a go. it was a solid pace but I thought I'd see if we could take a little group and maybe get a small advantage for the second climb," Thomas told Cyclingnews after his day on the attack.
"They [Trek] shot that down on the climb and brought us back pretty quickly really, but it's tough on the front you know with a headwind."
Unlike the modern-day superstars who are firing on all cylinders from the season's start in January until the curtain closes on racing in October, Thomas still follows the old-school style of peaking only for his biggest targets. So it was no worry for him nor the team that he wasn't competing for the overall victory, even this close to the Giro.
"I felt OK but it's just another day of going deep and I've got to freshen up now. I think once I rest up and recover now, soak up all this work, I should have made a good step," said the Welshman.
"He's come from a big block in Sierra Nevada and he's in a good place but I don't know whether he's got work to do or whether he just needs to freshen up a bit towards the Giro," echoed Ineos DS Zak Dempster to Cyclingnews at the team bus in Levico Terme.
"But I would say things are on track with G for the Grand Tours."
After losing the Maglia Rosa on the penultimate stage last year, Thomas will first ride his sixth Giro d'Italia before he lines up for a 13th appearance at the Tour de France in June. But before he heads to either of his big goals, the Brit and Ineos aren't done with their work in Italy and still have some work to do in the way of planning.
"We've got a recon tomorrow then I'll head back to Monaco and chill out," said Thomas of his immediate plans after the Tour of the Alps, before Dempster confirmed that this would be of the brutally tough 20th stage of the Giro d'Italia from Alpago to Bassano del Grappa.
"We're heading off to see Monte Grappa for the key stage 20. That's almost the last of the recons," said the Australian.
"It's been a big process since the route was announced in November. We've still got Oropa to come before the race and the final of stage 1 but we're in a really good place I think."
The savage 18.2km Monte Grappa climb features twice on the 20th stage where if the GC hasn't been decided at that point, it certainly will be on that day in the Veneto region. Oropa is the key climb in the Grande Partenza of the Giro and should provide the first chance for Thomas or heavy pre-race GC favourite Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) to move into the maglia rosa.
Thomas stated that he thinks the route should suit his capabilities but admitted that "it's always tough, you've always got climbs and time trials… but I prefer these TTs than last year anyway."
