Geraint Thomas had been set to line up on the Volta ao Algarve this week, however the Welshman was absent from wet Portimão on Wednesday morning, opting as a substitute to increase his coaching camp within the USA.
The first motive is sickness, with Thomas struggling a minor an infection forward of final month’s Tour Down Below, and a repeat of the identical subject shortly after it.
Thomas will now make his European season debut at Tirreno-Adriatico in early March, with the Volta a Catalunya prone to be added to his schedule to high up his racing load forward of the Giro d’Italia.
“Geraint’s all proper. He is in a superb rhythm and routine so we simply determined we might hold him doing what he is doing for now,” Ineos Grenadiers‘ deputy group principal, Rod Ellingworth, informed Cyclingnews.
Thomas has been laying the foundations for the Giro in globetrotting trend, heading to New Zealand for 10 days earlier than arriving early final week in Los Angeles, California, the place he has spent earlier winters coaching alongside teammate and triathlete Cameron Wurf.
Thomas has now determined to increase his keep within the USA by slightly below per week earlier than returning to his residence in Monaco forward of the beginning of Tirreno-Adriatico on March 6.
“He is all proper. He simply had a little bit of sickness earlier than TDU, rode TDU and was high-quality, however afterwards had one other little repeat of the identical factor,” Ellingworth defined.
“He by no means felt actually unwell with it however one thing wasn’t fairly proper. Now he is completely high-quality. He is been performing some nice work in LA with Cam, who’s type of his sparring accomplice on the market, so since he was in a superb routine we thought ‘okay let’s hold him there’.”
The change of plan may have a knock-on impact on Thomas’ racing calendar. Tirreno-Adriatico stays, however the Volta a Catalunya now appears more likely than the preliminary choice of the Settimana Coppi e Bartali in late March.
Working two levels longer – at seven – and with a heavier parcours besides, the Volta would give him extra of the racing depth he’s lacking out on within the Algarve.
“Tirreno will likely be his first race, and now there is a dialogue about whether or not he does Catalunya,” Ellingworth mentioned. “That or Coppi Bartali have been all the time a part of the plan, however he might go to Catalunya now to make up for what he is missed.”
Thomas remains to be properly on observe for the Giro d’Italia in Might, the place he’ll lead the road for Ineos Grenadiers after his podium end in final 12 months’s Tour de France.
“We’re not trying previous the Giro in the mean time,” Ellingworth mentioned. “He is in good spirits, he is up for it.”
