Geraint Thomas shares his delight as Ineos Grenadiers' secret pays off at Giro d'Italia

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18:36, Saturday 4th May 2024

The Giro d'Italia wasn't meant to begin like this. As Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) produced his first blistering attack of the race on the slopes of the San Vito, the expectation was that the Slovenian would ride the rest of the race off his wheel and go solo to the finish in Turin, taking the first maglia rosa of the Giro in the process.

But there were to be no such celebrations for the two-time Tour de France winner after the finish of stage 1. Instead Pogačar's head dropped in frustration as he rode to the solace of his UAE Team Emirates team bus, forced to settle for third behind the surprise winner of the Giro's opening stage, Jhonatan Narváez, and Max Schachmann (Bora-Hansgrohe). But for the Ecuadorian's Ineos Grenadiers team, this triumph has been a long time in the making.

"They told me before the press conference not to mention Jonny because he'd go under the radar," Geraint Thomas revealed to GCN and a small group of reporters as he warmed down on a set of rollers.

"Fair play to him. It was always going to be a day for him and for the rest of us just to be there in a good position."

Read more: Giro d'Italia stage 1: Jhonatan Narváez wins as Tadej Pogačar drops all his GC rivals

Though uncategorised, the San Vito climb (1.4km at 9.6%) was always likely to define stage 1 of the Giro, with the peak of its punishing slopes falling just 3km before the finish by the Po River in central Turin. Owing to its demanding gradients and the high pace that was set by UAE Team Emirates over the preceding climbs, it was to be the adventurous amongst the peloton who would be rewarded as the final kilometres fell into sight.

Alpecin-Deceuninck chanced their arm at glory through the opportunistic attack of Nicola Conci within moments of the climb, but it was the Italian who hung off the front as Pogačar's bait towards its summit. Keen to lay an early marker for his GC rivals, the UAE Team Emirates leader launched a searing attack on the climb and soon left Conci in his wake as he struck out for home.

Read more: Tadej Pogačar disappointed to not already wear pink after Giro d'Italia stage 1

But all the while as Pogačar advanced, the gutsy Ecuadorian national champion clung to his wheel like a dog to a bone. Never letting the Slovenian escape his grasp, Narváez was Pogačar's shadow in the afternoon sun and in the final straight to the line, the Ineos Grenadiers man outsprinted the Slovenian national champion and Schachmann to take the second Giro stage victory of his career.

"We kept that one pretty close to the chest, but Jonny is a quality rider," Ineos Grenadiers sports director Zak Dempster told GCN outside the team bus. "He's won races all along his career but especially in the last 12 months and not everybody has seen it. Let's say there's some stuff hidden in the UCI points like the Tour of Austria, what he was able to produce is pretty comparable to what they are able to do in races like this."

Thomas starts strong as his assault on pink begins

With Narváez the team's wildcard on Saturday afternoon, Geraint Thomas could ride to the beat of his own drum on the final tough but uncategorised climb. At 37 years old, the Welshman is looking to become the oldest winner of the Giro d'Italia in history and his experience shone through when reflecting on an opening day that saw a number of his podium rivals lose time - Romain Bardet (dsm-firmenich PostNL) and Juan Pedro López (Lidl-Trek) among them.

Read more: Giro d'Italia stage 1: Arensman and Bardet feel the force of Tadej Pogačar's shock and awe

"I guess it's just the first day, it's a bit of heat, everybody reacts differently and like I said at the start, it's easy to get carried away on day one. Once we get into stage 15 onwards, this will be insignificant once we start going up those massive climbs," he said.

That notwithstanding, the former Tour de France winner could be happy with his own performance behind the stage-winning heroics of his teammate. Thomas reached the team bus alongside Filippo Ganna, where fist bumps and congratulations were in order as they celebrated a strong showing under the pressure of Pogačar.

Slightly out of position heading onto the steep slopes of the San Vito, Thomas stuck to task and finished in tenth place, part of the second group behind the trio of Narváez, Schachmann and Pogačar. Despite the theatrics of Pogačar's buccaneering move, the race favourite finished only ten seconds ahead of Thomas' group, earning a four-second time bonus for his troubles.

For all the pre-race talk of Pogačar claiming the first maglia rosa and smashing the morale of his rivals before the race had even left Turin, UAE Team Emirates were noticeably weakened by the work they had taken up earlier in the stage. By the point of Pogačar's attack, only Rafał Majka remained by his teammate's side. This did not go unnoticed by Ineos Grenadiers.

"We know we're totally up against it but as you saw today, his team were strong obviously but they weren't super dominant like they have been in some other races," noted Thomas. "It's a long race, a lot can happen.

"I've done plenty of years to know that anything can change from day to day, but as I say, it's just a great start for us and we're happy with that. My legs were good, hopefully we can make the most of it now."

A good start for Thomas then, and a morale-booster for Ineos Grenadiers in the form of Narváez's unexpected stage victory. Pogačar may remain the overwhelming favourite to take pink by Rome, but in the Ecuadorian, Ineos Grenadiers have proved that they can spring a surprise at this year's Giro.

For everything you need to know about the 2024 Giro d'Italia, from the history of the race to this year's route and start list, be sure to check out our dedicated race hub.