Thomas "just went along" with Pogacar's attack in stage finale: "This guy is kicking my head in"

What a finale to stage three! Tadej Pogacar chased after breakaway Mikkel Honoré and created a gap. Eventually, there was one other GC rider who wanted to show his strength: Geraint Thomas. The second-ranked rider managed to keep up with the pink jersey in fits and starts. Exhausted, the men were then caught just before the finish. Thomas gave his reaction right after the finish in a flash interview with Eurosport.

Thomas demonstrated his improving form by jumping to follow, but barely managed to keep up with his rival. Completely astonished, he then gave his opinion about the final phase. "This was definitely not the plan. I just wanted to stay calm and out of trouble. I stayed to the left and the boys were incredible, really. Eventually, we lost some men along the way. The pace was great. And then Honoré went for it..."

Thomas didn't mince words: "I was just trying to keep his wheel"

But Honoré wasn't the only one who took off! "And then Pogacar was going too, and I thought: well, I might as well just go." What followed was a thrilling cat-and-mouse game between the top two in this gran tour and the hungry sprinters. "But Jezus man, this was solid. He's kicking my head in," Thomas said in no uncertain terms. Eventually, because of his effort, the Welshman couldn't take over, Pogacar slowed down for a moment, and then their chance for the stage win was over.

"I told him in a few last words that I was quite tired. I wasn't focused on winning, I was focused on trying to hold his wheel. I wanted to take some turns at the front, but it was so fast. We had a gap, but they were also coming up fast. I couldn't contribute much at the front. It's a good start to this Giro. We'll hopefully continue to build and see how it goes," Thomas concluded the interview.