Geraint Thomas promised any doubters that his victory will “stand the test of time” should he clinch his maiden yellow jersey in Paris on Sunday after another impressive ride in the Pyrénées.
Thomas finished second on stage 19 in Laruns to extend his overall lead to more than two minutes from Tom Dumoulin, and the 32-year-old just needs to avoid disaster in Saturday’s time trial to win the first grand tour of his career.
“It was squeaky bum time, as they say in the UK, but all I had to do was to follow Tom,” said Thomas. “The gap should be enough but we’ll see. I just have to think of it like any other race and not think of the endgame.”
After the stage he was asked what message he had for Team Sky’s doubters in the wake of several scandals, none of which brought charges of doping but which stirred suspicion around a team which arrived in cycling in 2010 with a strong anti-doping mantra.
“I don’t know – what can you say. I do it the right way. The team does it the right way. We train super hard. There is nothing I can do to prove it but it will stand the test of time.
“The team here is super strong. We have myself, Froomey, Egan Bernal, the brightest talent in a long time. Luke Rowe, who is super strong in the classics. The team is just phenomenally strong. It is not just having good legs but good heads. There is nothing more to say. I work super hard and I’ve had some bad luck, but it’s nice to know that it is paying off.”
