Thomas criticizes Red Bull, Roglic and basically half the cycling world: "Is this how it's going to be from now on?"
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Follow us on GoogleGeraint Thomas is baffled by how the cycling world seems to be resigning itself to the dominance of Tadej Pogačar and Jonas Vingegaard in the Tour de France and other races. In his podcast, the Welshman from INEOS Grenadiers takes aim at riders and teams that are choosing to escape to different races.
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Thomas' sharp remarks start when the 2025 Giro d'Italia is brought up. "I find it strange that Primoz Roglic is doing the Giro d'Italia. It makes me feel like they don’t believe in winning the Tour. He left Visma | Lease a Bike to ride the Tour de France, and he already won the Giro two years ago. I think it’s an odd choice, especially for Roglic," he says about the Giro-Tour double planned by the Slovenian and Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe.
In an attempt to defend Roglic, podcast host Tom and guest Laurens De Plus, Thomas' teammate, only seem to make things worse. "They signed Roglic for a lot of money, and to justify that salary, they’re playing it safe. In the Tour, maybe he could podium, but maybe the team wants to see a return on their investment by checking off the Giro. Maybe that’s the smart choice?" De Plus adds: "Let’s be honest, if Pogacar and Vingegaard are at 100%..."
Read more below the photo.

Primoz Roglic
Thomas sees the peloton give up against Pogacar and Vingegaard
Thomas cuts in: "Yeah, so? Should we just not race at all anymore? Should we let Tadej and Jonas ride around France by themselves? Is this how it’s going to be from now on — everyone just doing the races that Pog and Jonas aren’t in?" De Plus laughs and defends his point: "If you want to win, maybe you have to pick a different race. We did the same thing at INEOS two years ago, right? We sent our best guys to the Giro because that’s where we had the best chance to win."
"You have a point, I understand that..." Thomas continues. "But when it comes to Red Bull and Roglic, I don’t get it. They’ve invested so much money into the goal of winning the Tour, so why not go all in? You’re definitely not going to win if you don’t start at 100%. Anything can happen in a cycling race. Of course, what Pogacar and Vingegaard are doing these days is insane, but that doesn’t mean you should give up. Sure, you might win more in races where they aren’t there, but still..."
Despite Thomas' stance, many top riders have committed to the Giro d'Italia as their first Grand Tour of the year. Alongside Primoz Roglic, Juan Ayuso, Adam Yates (UAE Team Emirates), Richard Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost), Egan Bernal (INEOS Grenadiers), and Max Poole (Picnic-PostNL) have already been confirmed.
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Latest Comments
- I’m still learning the calendar: is cyclocross mainly preparation for the spring classics, or does he race it as a separate goal as well? I’d love to see him back in the mud.jeremya04-11-2026
- The article makes it sound as if Roubaix is the only classic where he has a realistic shot. He’s been close in Flanders too, and one good tactical day can change everything.jennifer1904-11-2026
- Milan-Sanremo and Roubaix is a pretty special pair of Monuments. Any clues yet on which cyclocross races he’ll target?andrewf04-11-2026
- He’s right to be realistic about Flanders with Pogačar and Evenepoel around, but you can’t count Van Aert out on those roads. If he gets the right opportunity, he has the engine and experience to take it.davidm04-11-2026
- That Roubaix win felt like such a release after all the near-misses. Brilliant to hear that joy outweighed relief for Wout.patriciaw04-11-2026
- Why would a mountain time trial be different from a normal one? Is it just that the riders have to climb the whole course?samanthak03-11-2026
- I don’t quite buy the “fear of failure” argument. Riders can race the Giro and still have confidence in July; it comes down to recovery and planning, doesn’t it?patriciaw03-11-2026
- The Giro-Tour double is a massive ask, even for the very best. Pogačar made it look almost routine in 2024, but that’s hardly a sensible benchmark for everyone else!pedalpowe2903-11-2026
- Bakelants makes a fair point: if the 2027 Tour really suits Remco, he can’t afford to dilute the build-up. That 37km flat TT will be tempting, mind.julien03-11-2026
- Mont Blanc sounds like a spectacular finish, though four climbs on the final day might be a bit much after eight hard stages. Hope the route details are clear soon.raceready703-11-2026

