11 May 2023
Grenadiers rally to maintain GC places
Related riders
Filippo Ganna
Geraint Thomas
Giro d'italia Stage 6: Napoli › Napoli, 162km.
A fantastic team reaction in the closing kilometres helped maintain Geraint Thomas' overall placing in a high octane sixth stage of the Giro d'Italia.
After controlling the race for large periods and driving the pace on the front on the rolling Naples terrain, a dropped chain for Thomas threatened to undo the INEOS Grenadiers good work.
The issue happened on a tight bend in the finale of the stage, with Filippo Ganna, Salvatore Puccio and Ben Swift dropping back to help the Welsh rider return to the peloton.
A high-speed chase ensued, with the quartet able to re-join the bunch and ensure Thomas retained sixth overall, with Tao Geoghegan Hart eighth, ahead of a mountain test on stage seven.
After controlling the race for large periods and driving the pace on the front on the rolling Naples terrain, a dropped chain for Thomas threatened to undo the INEOS Grenadiers good work.
The issue happened on a tight bend in the finale of the stage, with Filippo Ganna, Salvatore Puccio and Ben Swift dropping back to help the Welsh rider return to the peloton.
A high-speed chase ensued, with the quartet able to re-join the bunch and ensure Thomas retained sixth overall, with Tao Geoghegan Hart eighth, ahead of a mountain test on stage seven.
Reaction
Geraint Thomas
“The chain came off the front and of the cassette. It took me a while to realise it was off the cassette too, but I got it back on.
Geraint Thomas
“The chain came off the front and of the cassette. It took me a while to realise it was off the cassette too, but I got it back on.
“The boys were great in getting me back and into position. Luckily, I have strong guys around me - Swifty, Ganna and Puccio - they were great support It could have been a lot worse, it was just a chain coming off and nothing else, it was all good in the end.
“We’ve been riding strong, hopefully we can continue that and we’ll see how the race develops.”
“We’ve been riding strong, hopefully we can continue that and we’ll see how the race develops.”
