Geraint Thomas has given a positive update on his recovery from the crash that forced him out of the Tour de Suisse, confirming that his knee is feeling “pretty good” as he prepares for what will be his final appearance at the Tour de France.
The 38-year-old Welshman, who plans to retire at the end of the season, is currently back at home in Monaco, ticking off a final stretch of rehab and training before travelling to Lille for the Grand Départ next week. Ineos Grenadiers have yet to finalise their Tour line-up, but Thomas spoke confidently on his Watts Occurring podcast, giving every indication that he’ll be on the start line.
“My knee didn’t feel too bad,” he said, looking back on the incident in Switzerland. “It was more the muscles and from the twisting of it really. The doc was basically like: ‘we don’t want to take the risk, we think you’re better just having a few days off, make sure it’s 100 per cent and then you can train again and be good for the Tour’, rather than battling away through here.”
The crash came just two weeks before the start of the Tour, prompting a cautious approach from the team. Thomas, who initially wanted to continue racing, accepted the medical advice. “I think because it was Suisse and two weeks out from the Tour, they were super cautious… Any other race it probably would have been like ‘oh just start tomorrow, see how you are’,” he said.
Known for his resilience, Thomas admitted he “hated” the rehab process but was relieved this one had been “straightforward”. The knee injury hasn’t required significant downtime and he’s already resumed riding, though he recognises there’s still work to do. “It seems pretty good now,” he said. “I need a big week now, that’s the only problem. I’m not really chasing it, but it’s more just the mental side. I could have had five more days of racing.”
Without the full workload of Tour de Suisse in his legs, the Ineos rider is now focusing on replicating race intensity in training. “I was also thinking, I’ve only got one more week of that,” he reflected. “So a week of that, I’ll go to the Tour, then I’ve got three weeks until the Tour of Germany, then there’s a week in between until the Tour of Britain. But that will be a lot less intense. I’ll be training, obviously, but it’s a different vibe.”
That “one more week” marks the last high-intensity build-up of his career. The former Tour winner may not be the headline favourite this year, but he remains a steady presence and a potential GC asset, especially if Ineos opts to spread leadership across several riders.
Thomas looks set to begin his 13th Tour campaign with a clear head and focused legs, intent on giving his final appearance the full treatment, regardless of how the GC shapes up.
