Former Tour winner Geraint Thomas is still in contention for the yellow jersey in third place. Knowing full well that the fight for overall victory in the Tour de France only leads through Jonas Vingegaard and Tadej Pogacar. Because the 36-year-old can assess his strength and chances very well.
Geraint Thomas would be the ideal advisor for Jonas Vingegaard. The Brit is very familiar with the situation of going into the Pyrenees showdowns at the Tour de France with a lead of almost two minutes and successfully defending the yellow jersey all the way to Paris. His feat was four years ago, and Thomas' starting position has changed since then.
In the fight for the coveted maillot jaune, he is supposedly promising as a pursuer in third place. Despite Thomas' strong performances so far, his chances of intervening in the duel between overall leader Vingegaard and opponent Tadej Pogacar are manageable. "It will certainly be difficult because there are two incredibly strong drivers in front of me, not just one," said the 36-year-old veteran. His plan: "We'll just try to get to Paris as quickly as possible. That's really all we can do. If we don't overtake Jonas and Tadej, then we won't overtake them, and that's it."
The aggressive driving style of challenger Vingegaard and defending champion Pogacar, who is aiming for his third consecutive overall victory in the Tour of France, Thomas will have little to counter in the Pyrenees. "There's just no point in trying to keep up with the explosiveness of Vingegaard and Pogacar," he said appreciatively after the legendary climb to Alpe d'Huez.
So his realistic goal on the Champs-Elysees on Sunday must and will be the podium. His opponents for third place are none other than climbing specialists Nairo Quintana and Romain Bardet. If Thomas gets through the Pyrenees trilogy well, the time trial on the penultimate stage would play into his hands. "Obviously I have to keep an eye on the guys behind me. But I'm confident I can get a decent time on them in the time trial," said Thomas.
