In a performance that has huge resonance for Team Sky’s attempt to win their third Tour de France in four years Geraint Thomas came within a whisker of the biggest stage-race win of his career on Sunday when he finished five seconds behind the Slovenian, Simon Spilak, in the Tour of Switzerland.
Thomas has never performed this well in a stage race of this stature – Switzerland is rated fourth-hardest in the world behind the Grand Tours, Spain, Italy and France – and, while he was just short of being Britain’s first winner of the event, after climbing well and racing consistently through the nine days he is perfectly placed to support Chris Froome in France.
This season Thomas has become a serious contender in week-long stage races; so far he has won the Tour of Algarve, finished fifth in Paris-Nice and worn the race leader’s jersey in the Tour of Romandie, in addition to his role as one of Sky’s leaders in the spring one-day Classics, where he won the GP E3 at Harelbeke in March.
The Welshman was 34sec behind the overnight leader, Thibaut Pinot of France, going into the final stage, a 38km time trial on a rolling course round the city of Bern, with Spilak a further 13sec adrift. Pinot, who is not a noted time-triallist, faded during the stage, eventually slipping to fourth overall.
That left Spilak and Thomas duelling for the title, with the Beijing and London Olympic gold medallist Thomas 18sec behind when he crossed the line. The stage winner, Tom Dumoulin of Holland, climbed above Pinot into third overall and, with two time-trial victories in the Swiss Tour, will start as clear favourite for the 13.5km time trial that opens the Tour de France on 4 July.
While Pinot’s strong climbing performance in Switzerland confirms his credentials as a candidate for the podium in the Tour de France, one of the Tour’s biggest favourites, Alberto Contador, sealed his overall win in the Route du Sud four-day race, winning Saturday’s tough stage through the Pyrenees and ending up 17sec ahead of another fancied Tour contender, Nairo Quintana of Colombia.
