23 May 2023
Thomas powers back into pink
Related riders
Geraint Thomas
Giro d'Italia - Stage 16 » Sabbio Chiese › Monte Bondone, 203km
Geraint Thomas put in a superb attacking performance to reclaim the pink jersey at the Giro d'Italia, finishing a close second on stage 16.
The Welshman pushed clear of a select GC group with 4.5 kilometres to go, riding across to Joao Almeida (UAE Team Emirates) and opening out a gap to rival Primoz Roglic (Jumbo-Visma).
Thomas and Almeida were able to combine forces on the run-in, but in the final metres the Portuguese rider was able to narrowly edge out the victory.
The result sees Thomas return to the top of the GC, now leading by 18 seconds over Almeida, and 29 seconds ahead of Roglic who finished third on the stage.
Thymen Arensman and Laurens De Plus came home in the top 10 on the stage and remain ninth and 10th overall respectively.
Earlier on the duo of Ben Swift and Salvatore Puccio rode well in the day's break, giving the team a key tactical card to play.
Sadly the stage also saw Pavel Sivakov abandon the race, with the Grenadier still struggling following a crash earlier in the Giro.
The Welshman pushed clear of a select GC group with 4.5 kilometres to go, riding across to Joao Almeida (UAE Team Emirates) and opening out a gap to rival Primoz Roglic (Jumbo-Visma).
Thomas and Almeida were able to combine forces on the run-in, but in the final metres the Portuguese rider was able to narrowly edge out the victory.
The result sees Thomas return to the top of the GC, now leading by 18 seconds over Almeida, and 29 seconds ahead of Roglic who finished third on the stage.
Thymen Arensman and Laurens De Plus came home in the top 10 on the stage and remain ninth and 10th overall respectively.
Earlier on the duo of Ben Swift and Salvatore Puccio rode well in the day's break, giving the team a key tactical card to play.
Sadly the stage also saw Pavel Sivakov abandon the race, with the Grenadier still struggling following a crash earlier in the Giro.
Reaction
- Geraint Thomas
"It would have been nice to win the stage. It was one of those where we had to keep riding. I didn’t want to play cat and mouse with Joao with Roglic behind. We worked well together. I led it out and unfortunately he got the jump on me and won the sprint. It’s nice to be back in pink and to gain some time. Obviously it’s not great to lose a team-mate.
- Geraint Thomas
"It would have been nice to win the stage. It was one of those where we had to keep riding. I didn’t want to play cat and mouse with Joao with Roglic behind. We worked well together. I led it out and unfortunately he got the jump on me and won the sprint. It’s nice to be back in pink and to gain some time. Obviously it’s not great to lose a team-mate.
"[Almeida] was always one of the biggest rivals coming here. He’s shown how strong he is and his team as well – so no surprise."
- Matteo Tosatto
"G came back into the pink jersey. I’m super happy for him, but disappointed as I think winning the stage would have been great after many second positions. But in the end it’s a good day for us. The team was super strong. Today was the first big test, now it’s super important to recover and focus for the next mountain stage.
- Matteo Tosatto
"G came back into the pink jersey. I’m super happy for him, but disappointed as I think winning the stage would have been great after many second positions. But in the end it’s a good day for us. The team was super strong. Today was the first big test, now it’s super important to recover and focus for the next mountain stage.
"Pavel after the crash with Tao has not recovered. This morning and during the rest day he was suffering a lot. For us it’s one less rider but I have five riders who are super strong. I have confidence in them and what’s important now is recovery.
"G is strong and this was a perfect climb for him. The last two mountain stages are harder and now it’s important to recover and stay calm."
