World News – GB – The new regime puts an end to the «  downward spiral  » of Geraint Thomas before the Worlds and the Giro d’Italia

‘ Come Tirreno, I went there as a leader and just was riding this crest of the wave ‘

Geraint Thomas admits that he was in a downward spiral at the end of the Critérium du Dauphiné and that he missed the selection for the Tour de France but that a new diet and a strict diet saw him lose some weight and focus on Tirreno-Adriatico

The Welshman finished second overall in the Italian stage race and will target the Giro d’Italia later this month, but on Friday he represents Great Britain in the World Championships time trial. UCI Road World, where he hopes to win his first rainbow jersey on the road

Thomas’ improvements at Tirreno-Adriatico were in stark contrast to his run at the Dauphiné, where he struggled to compete for the GC or face Jumbo-Visma in the mountains as a super-domestic. at a small media gathering at an online press conference, the 34-year-old made an honest assessment of his condition earlier in the year

« I think I was a little lighter », he said of his performance of Tirreno « After the Dauphiné, I went on a kind of strict diet really I worked with the nutrition, the team was telling me how much pasta, protein and veg I had I just did like long easy walks – six, seven hours

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« It helped shift the weight a bit and that’s really the biggest difference The power was okay in the Dauphiné, I was just a bit heavy at the start When you’re not doing very well too, mentally you’re just not quite there

« Come on Tirreno, I went there as a leader and felt better on the bike and suddenly rather than in a downward spiral you are just riding the crest of a wave As the days go by you become more confident and you grow as a team, that’s the most important thing « 

With his attention from the Tour de France to the Giro, the Welshman has the chance to fight for the second Grand Tour victory of his career and to compensate for the disappointment of having fallen from the Giro in 2017

He will be traveling to Italy in a few days to compete on a course that seems ideal for his skills, with three time trials spaced out throughout the race The individual time trial at the Worlds will only provide Thomas than his third time trial of the year, but his longest to date and this important scorer will be important as he looks to build on his momentum

« Obviously that plays a big role But at the same time I would have wanted to do [the Worlds] anyway just because I really have a chance to run, » he said. « I’m still on my knees at the end of the season after a typical year But obviously it’s anything but I feel pretty good and I would still have wanted to do the TT, but obviously having three TT at the Giro gives it a extra importance

« Coming up in the Giro I’m happy where I am Tirreno was really good just for the confidence as well as for just eight good days of racing I just think about the extra time I had to lose some weight too and to get the extra race days It helps a lot And I’m happy with where I am I really can’t wait to get into the Giro now and start « 

Thomas heads into Friday’s challenge with little external pressure on his shoulders His main goal is the Giro but his impressive form at Tirreno means he arrives at Imola with an outside chance of a medal

The peloton is however stacked with his two Ineos Grenadiers teammates Filippo Ganna and defending champion Rohan Dennis among the favorites There are also several rivals heading to Imola straight from the Tour de France, such as Tom Dumoulin, Rémi Cavagna , Stefan Küng and Wout van Aert

« I think someone who comes out of the Tour will win After such a big block of racing on the Tour, maybe not necessarily one of the guys who were racing for GC but the guys who still had a tough Tour but who haven’t emptied the tank It will certainly be an exciting race to watch, « said Thomas

« The course is fine but I would have liked a more hilly course ideally But since the last days of Tirreno that I had I was in the mix there I just hope to be there or so tomorrow Obviously I will give it everything I have and try to get the best possible result

« But yes, we’ll see It’s strange as well as this is the first TT I did outside of a stage race I’ve done nationals twice, maybe, and the Olympics once It’s different but it will certainly help for the Giro too « 

The main thing for Thomas is that he doesn’t feel the need to prove to anyone after the disappointment of missing a place in the Tour de France in the Ineos team

« To be honest I got over it pretty quickly The initial disappointment was rather that it was just the first time I didn’t reach my goal for the year I knew I wasn’t in. fit to fight for the win was the disappointing thing but I could have an easy week go back to Cardiff and see my son and die off for a few days then come back and preparation for the Giro

« As soon as I came back to Monaco and started the whole Giro project, I was motivated and ready to go It gave me new impetus It’s not about proving anything to anyone, it was a decision that Dave [Brailsford – Ed] and I made together after the Dauphine This to me also gave new life « 

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Geraint Thomas, Team INEOS, Giro d’Italia, Tour de France, UCI Road World Championships – Men’s Time Trial, Championship