Geraint Thomas will not beat himself up if his Yellow Jersey turns out to be a one-hit wonder on the Tour de France .
And as the Welshman prepares to defend his title, he insisted: “I’ve got nothing to prove.”
Team Ineos will hit the road at the opening stage in Brussels on Saturday without four-time champion Chris Froome in tow for the first time since 2011.
In fairness, Thomas will never be a one-hit wonder in the mould of 1970s bands Fiddler’s Dram or Lieutenant Pigeon. As a double Olympic track champion, and in his previous incarnation as Thomas the flank engine shadowing Froome, he commands respect in the peloton.
But he will be defending his crown partly from memory after crashing out of last month’s Tour de Suisse.
Thomas said: “I’ve got nothing to prove to anyone, really. If it is a one-hit wonder, it’s a pretty good hit to have on your record. A lot of guys just dream of riding the Tour, so to be one of the guys who’s actually won it is pretty amazing.
“I just want to get that feeling I got last year – the amazing feeling of riding strong and racing well in the biggest bike race of them all. And that’s what has motivated me from the start of the year – to get it right for the crunch again.”
After a terrifying crash on the Criterium du Dauphine, which left him with multiple broken bones, Froome’s absence could make it Le Tour’s most open race in years.
Colombian prodigy Egan Bernal will be a viable Plan B for Team Ineos, but Thomas added: “Froomey’s absence leaves a big hole in the race.
“He’s one of the greatest-ever Grand Tour riders and to not have him there lining up is a huge shame – for him personally, but especially for the team. With him there, it would have given us another card to play in the big mountain stages with myself and Egan.
“The main thing is he’s OK. By the sounds of it, his crash was horrific and he did a lot of damage, so I’m super-happy he’s on the road to recovery – that’s the most important thing of all. But to be without him is a big blow.”
Thomas has recovered from his own accident in Switzerland, but the psychological impact of limited race days in 2019 has yet to be determined.
Asked whether climbing the mountain a second time was harder than conquering Everest, he said: “I know what I need to do – or at least I know if I can get in similar shape I will be there or thereabouts.”
