Thomas praises Pogacar (and Martinez), was happy with Paret-Peintre and craves a beer for his birthday

"All in all, it wasn't a very bad day," concluded Thomas - who, by the way, celebrated his 38th birthday on Saturday - in front of Cycling Pro Net's camera. "We were lucky with the weather, at least. I felt pretty average all day. Even before the first climb started, I thought it could turn out to be a terrible birthday. Luckily, we regrouped in the end, and the damage was minimal."

The Welshman then honestly admitted that he wasn't good enough to follow the acceleration of Pogacar or that of Daniel Felipe Martinez (second in the GC). "I just had to ride at my own pace. I was lucky that Ben O'Connor was with me. He still had a teammate (Valentin Paret-Peintre) with him. That was nice. I was a bit less stressed knowing I had a good lead over the guys behind me. And my closest rival, Ben, was in the same group as I was. That made a difference. In the descent, I didn't have to do anything crazy."

It was clear that the INEOS Grenadiers veteran was exhausted after the stage, which included two ascents of Monte Grappa. "Guys, guys. I feel every one of those 38 years," he said with a wink. "Looking back, I'm satisfied with this Giro. We did our utmost as a team. I don't think we could have done more. We rode well. I don't think we could have aimed higher. Martinez rode an incredible race," G praised, then emphasized again: "Phew, I am really tired."

Thomas's age also came up, as he is quite an exception in the top ten of the GC at 38 years old. "That's something that's been talked about a lot in recent weeks. But I have to say, I didn't understand all the fuss around it. But yes, 38 is a bit old, isn't it?" he replied rather cryptically.

Finally, Thomas commented on Pogacar's fabulous performance, who dominated everyone over three weeks in Italy. "Honestly, I think he's the best rider I've ever raced against," he praised the man from Komenda. "And I can say I've raced with quite a few guys. He's incredibly versatile and aggressive. It's really not normal. I'm only good for a few months a year; Tadej is good all season."

"It's insane how talented he is," he continued his praise. "Can anyone beat him in the Tour? Normally, only Jonas Vingegaard can. But with him, we have to wait and see how his recovery goes. For the rest, it will be very difficult, although there's always a chance. It's still a race, but Tadej is unique. He makes us look like slow riders, haha! I'm not thinking about the Tour de France yet. What I'm craving now is a birthday beer!" Cheers, Geraint!