Geraint Thomas questioned Tadej Pogacar on not riding the Vuelta: “He responded: I need to keep the team happy”

Taking a Break

“I’m tired, but it’s a nice feeling to be able to switch off a bit now. It also feels a bit strange because you’re in it for so long,” Geraint Thomas shares on his podcast, Geraint Thomas Cycling Club. “But it’s nice. I haven’t done much in the past few days. Barbecuing, having a drink, those kinds of things. It’s good to step out of that intense cycling bubble, which a grand tour is.”

 Thomas Suggested Vuelta to Pogacar

Like Thomas, Tadej Pogacar did the Giro-Tour double and felt the fatigue, which led to his withdrawal from the Olympic Games. Although Pogacar could make history by winning the Vuelta, he isn’t participating. Thomas was curious about this decision. “I asked him in the peloton, and he said: I need to keep people in the team happy. They have so many key riders at UAE-Team Emirates. I understand that.”

“Three grand tours at the highest level also take a lot of energy, even for Pogacar. But he can do it on one leg. I think the World Championships are his main goal,” Thomas commented. “And now he’s also withdrawn from the Olympics. That course is a bit like Glasgow. He will participate there, but winning is very difficult. He probably wants to rest now and then aim for the World Championships, so I don’t believe much of that protest story,” he adds, referring to the fact that Pogacar’s fiancée, Urska Zigart, was not allowed to go to the Olympics.