A hugely promising start for Ineos Grenadiers at the Giro d’Italia saw the British team seize the opening stage win and the first overall lead with an uxexpectedly strong Jhonatan Narvaez, simultaneously inflicting a rare, morale-boosting defeat on Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates).
But if Narvaez’s triumph is something of a bonus prize and his aptitude to defend the GC lead is a real unknown, Geraint Thomas' 10th place on the stage, comfortably in the main group of rivals behind Pogačar and company, is an indication that the Ineos rider tapped for the overall remains firmly on course as well.
On a day when several GC riders came at least partly unstruck, most notably Romain Bardet (dsm-firmenich Post NL), this was easier said than done and even for Ineos Grenadiers not everything was a cause for celebration on stage 1. Thymen Arensman, viewed as a GC outsider in some quarters after his sixth place in 2023, crossed the line visibly upset at losing over two minutes while Tobias Foss, also a former top 10 finisher in the Giro back in 2021, lost over eight minutes.
Thomas, though, was able to briefly go on the attack before the final, unclassified ascent of Bivio de San Vito, where Narváez and Pogačar went clear, and the Welshman finished just 10 seconds down on the stage leaders. He remains very much in contention. He told reporters following his warm down, while delighted for Narváez, he was pleased with how his stage played out as well.
“Personally I felt good, I was just a little bit out of position into that final climb, but I saw that Johnny was right there on Pog’s wheel. It’s a great ride for him and unbelievable for the team, obviously,” Thomas said.
“It’s a great way to start and chapeau to Johnny. We always knew he was fast and to get over there with Pog and sprint - it’s great for the team, a great day.”
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Giro d'Italia 2024 contenders - Thomas, Bardet, O'Connor all seek to challenge Pogačar's rosy road to the GC victory
Giro d'Italia 2024 route
The idea of having Narváez step up his Giro game had been talked about for a while in the team, Thomas said, with instructions from management being “not to mention him in the pre-race press conference so he could fly under the radar".
“But I was like, well, I think people know who he is, but in any case, fair play to him. It was always going to be a day for him and for the rest of us to try and be in a good position. So that was great.”
Thomas agreed with Max Schachmann (Bora-Hansgrohe), second on the stage, that the toughest climb of the day, the category 2 Maddalena, had been at a less ferocious pace than expected, but that even so, GC riders like Bardet still ended up getting dropped.
“Yeah, that was a weird one, but it’s just because this is the first day, there was a bit of heat. Everyone reacts differently and like I said on the start, it’s easy to get carried away on stage 1. Once we get into stage 15 and going up those massive climbs, this’ll be insignificant.”
The Giro is ever an unpredictable beast, Thomas pointed out, with sudden changes in the GC always on the cards and riders abruptly disappearing from the running or suddenly coming out of nowhere when least expected. On top of that, a first stage as challenging as the Giro’s opening leg through the rugged hill country around Turin was a relative rarity and bound to throw up some unexpected results.
“The bunch was nervous, and it was proper sketchy at times,” he said.
As for the bigger picture of the Giro overall, Thomas was asked by one reporter about Pogačar’s comments pre-race that it was disrespectful of the media’s tendency to see the 2024 race as a one-horse race and if he, personally, felt disrespected by that attitude regarding his chances against Pogačar.
“I’m used to it, mate, you’ve never respected me,” Thomas responded, with a grin, making it clear he was joking. “But no, I definitely don’t feel disrespected. I mean if it was anyone else, then it’d be a bit different. But this guy’s phenomenal, we all know how major a talent he is and how strong a favourite he is.”
That in turn begs the question as to how riders like Thomas handle racing against someone who is operating in a different league. But the Welshman delivered a characteristically phlegmatic response to that challenge, as well as pointing out some details on stage 1 that invited a marginally more optimistic attitude towards racing in the era of Pogačar.
“We’ve just got to ride our own race. I mean, we know we’re totally up against it, but if you saw today, his team were strong, obviously, but they weren’t super-dominant like they have been in some other races,” he pointed out. “So, it’s a long race, a lot can happen, it’s been a good start to us, so - all good.”
When it came to predicting how Sunday’s summit finish could play out following the fiery finale on Saturday’s stage, Thomas said bluntly, “Pog’s going to probably drop a bomb again and we’ll see who can follow, basically".
“I know Johnny’s in great form. I can’t remember off the top of my head what the climb is like or how long is it, but I think the hardest part is at the end, and the way Johnny’s going, who knows? Maybe he can hold on. It’d be great if he could.”
