Geraint Thomas said he had goosebumps while climbing Holme Moss on stage two of the Tour de France and called the Yorkshire crowds “unbelievable” as the race moves south after two days in the county.
Thomas finished 23rd at the end of an tough 201km stage from York to Sheffield having worked tirelessly for leader Chris Froome in the finale.
And Thomas, who climbed Holme Moss on training rides as a young rider with the British Cycling Academy, hailed the hundreds of thousands of fans who have lined the route over the opening two days of the 2014 Tour.
“It’s been unbelievable,” said Thomas after crossing the finish line. “I had goosebumps going up Holme Moss, it was that good. I can’t describe it, it was an amazing feeling.
Thomas took control for Team Sky at the front of the peloton as the race approached Sheffield, with the Welshman seemingly ever-present at the head of the bunch on a relentlessly hilly parcours which included nine categorised climbs, and four in the final 30km.
“The last 35km was hard, it was steep, up and down, left and right,” he said. “We took control there, didn’t go too hard, took it nice and steady, and stayed at the front out of trouble. It was perfect for us, really. It’s another day down and another day ticked off, so what we wanted really.”
The 28-year-old, a two-time Olympic champion on the track for Great Britain, faded as the reduced front group reached the final climb of Jenkin Road, which peaks at a maximum gradient of 30 per cent, and it was on the ascent that Alberto Contador (Tinkoff-Saxo) and Froome sparred before Vincenzo Nibali (Astana) landed the knockout blow on the run-in to the finish to claim the stage and, with it, the yellow leader’s jersey.
Froome finished 19th on a stage played out like a one-day race, part of a 20-rider group which came in two seconds behind Nibali, and it’s so far, so good as far as Thomas is concerned, though the Classics specialist, who finished eighth and seventh in this year’s Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix respectively, admitted he may have been able to contest the finish had he conserved more energy during the stage.
Today was incredible! Had goosebumps going up Holme Moss. Thanks guys!!!
— Geraint Thomas (@GeraintThomas86) July 6, 2014
“Nibali won but we controlled it did what we wanted to do,” said Thomas. “We lost a few seconds to Nibali but a handful of seconds is no big deal and it’s another day down.
“My legs felt dead on those heavy roads, it was hard going. I rode on the front at the end for the boys and maybe could have saved a bit more for the finale but you do your bit for the team.”
Thomas and Team Sky will now travel south for stage three and while the 155km pan-flat route from Cambridge to London should offer some respite after a difficult opening to the Tour, Thomas believes the anticipated size of the crowds could once again make for another stressful day in the saddle and has urged fans to stay off the road.
“I think the roads are bigger going into London but there’s also a lot more street furniture, central reservations and things,” he said. “It’s going to be stressful again but hopefully physically it will be a bit easier than the last couple of days.
“It’s tiring mentally because the crowds are massive at the sides of the road and you’ve got to keep your wits about you because there’s the odd person who’s too far in. It’s pretty sketchy at times but all good.
“We’re not used to bike racing in this country so people don’t know how fast we go and that we use every inch of the road. It’s stressful in the peloton when everyone’s trying to get to the front. There haven’t been too many incidents and hopefully people will just be a bit more aware of what we’re doing.”
