
At times, even a season as recent as 2015 can feel like ancient history in cycling. When looking back at highlights from that year, like Alberto Contador winning the Giro d’Italia or Chris Froome taking his second Tour de France, the time gap seems unbridgeable.
But for proof that 2015 is not so distant, it's worth recalling that Geraint Thomas – prior to his own Tour de France victory and multiple other Grand Tour successes – rode his only Vuelta a España to date that September. It was not a happy experience