Vuelta a España first but Geraint Thomas would love Tour de France return

Geraint Thomas has said he would love to return to the Tour de France in the future but that any decision over his Grand Tour future in 2024 will be decided well after the upcoming Vuelta a España. Thomas is leading Ineos Grenadiers into the Vuelta after finishing second at the Giro d’Italia in May. He is still out of contract for next year but looks set to sign a two-year contract with the team he joined back in 2010.

The veteran Welsh rider finished third in last year’s Tour de France and won the race back in 2018. He finished on the podium in 2019 and with age seemingly no barrier for the 37-year-old his enthusiasm appears to be undented as he enters the twilight of his long and illustrious career. When asked by GCN about his possible Tour ambitions for 2024, the Ineos leader said he would focus on the here and now but that the Tour could be an option.

“When it comes to the Tour I just want to get these three weeks done and then have a few drinks,” he said during a pre-race press conference ahead of the Vuelta a España.  

“We’ll see what happens but I’d love to go back to the Tour. As a leader and targeting it, I don't know. We’ll see. We’ll look at the route and all that jazz. It’ll take a bit of time to make that decision.”

This is the first time Thomas has targeted the Giro and Vuelta in the same calendar year. He will be up against a star-studded field when the race kicks off with a team time trial in Barcelona on Saturday. Primož Roglič, Jonas Vingegaard (both Jumbo-Visma) and Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick Step) are among Thomas’ main rivals but the Ineos leader is relishing the challenge.

“It’s the first time that I’ve done two, the Giro and Vuelta,” he said.

"I’ve done Tour and Vuelta before and that was horrible, to be honest. This is the second time I’ve done the Vuelta and I’m a bit more prepared this time and looking forward to it. It’s a solid race and it’s going to be tough. The riders here are strong but I’m looking forward to it."

When asked how his preparation for the Vuelta had differed from his build-up to the Giro d’Italia in May, Thomas said: “Obviously the run into the Giro wasn’t ideal with this bacterial infection that kept on coming back. It wasn’t until March that I had some consistent training and it’s all been good since then. I’ve had a two-week break and then built up. It’s strange to have two big peaks in a season, which isn’t something that I normally do but we’ll see. I’ve been feeling alright and the team is motivated. We’re looking forward to getting stuck into the race.”

Thomas was also asked by GCN for his thoughts on the exodus of riders set to leave Ineos Grenadiers at the end of the current season. Ben Tulett, Dani Martínez, Tao Geoghegan Hart, and Pavel Sivakov are all confirmed as departures at this point.

“It’s a big shame to see those boys go. One disadvantage of being in such a strong team is that you've got boys coming through all the time and salaries going up as they improve. You can't keep them all. Tao, Pavel, I’ve spent a lot of time with them this year but I didn't know Ben so much, but it’s sad to see them go. It’s sad to see them go and then the elder statesman we've still got some good riders in the ranks.”