Tadej Pogacar battle at Giro d'Italia and Tour de France 'excites' Geraint Thomas - 'One of the greatest ever'

ByAlex Livie

Published 02/02/2024 at 20:38 GMT

Tadej Pogacar will head to the Giro d'Italia as the overwhelming favourite to take victory on the roads of Italy. Geraint Thomas is a potential threat to the Slovenian, but the Briton is aware of the task that faces him later in the year. Stream top cycling action, including the Giro d'Italia, Tour de France and Vuelta a Espana, live and on-demand on Eurosport, the Eurosport app and discovery+

Geraint Thomas has admitted that taking on Tadej Pogacar at the Giro d’Italia and Tour de France is an exciting prospect.

Pogacar and Thomas will bid to do what no one has done since Marco Pantani in 1998: win the Giro and the Tour in the same season.

There is only a month’s turnaround between the first and second Grand Tours of the season, and it is a feat that has only been achieved by six riders in the history of the sport.

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Thomas is at the tail end of his career, but the “huge challenge” of trying to follow in the footsteps of Fausto Coppi, Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault, Miguel Indurain and Pantani is what drives him on in the sport at the age of 37.

"It's simply a huge challenge to be at my best for so long, and I've never done it before, but I like these new things," Ineos Grenadiers rider Thomas told Gazzetta Dello Sport (h/t Cycling News). "They're the things that give meaning to your being as a rider.

"For me, it will take a lot of mental commitment as well as physical. It's something that excites me. It scares me too, but it's a good thing. It's my 19th year as a pro, so it's nice to mix things up a bit and that will keep me focussed.

"I thought, 'what do I have to lose?' I'll go to the Giro, get the best result there, then go to the Tour in the best possible shape.”

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Pogacar will arrive at the Giro as the favourite to add to his two Grand Tour wins, and Thomas is aware of the task at hand in tackling the UAE Team Emirates superstar.

"It's Pogacar and I would have preferred him not to come, but at the same time having him is fantastic," he said. "His taking part changes the race and his team will carry the weight of the race, but in the years to come he'll leave a huge legacy as one of the greatest ever.

"He's incredible, so just to be competitive with him and fight for the same thing is exciting."

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Video credit: TNT Sports

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Stream top cycling action, including the Giro d'Italia, Tour de France and Vuelta a Espana, live and on-demand on Eurosport, the Eurosport app and discovery+

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