That’s exactly what INEOS Grenadiers did too, getting five riders up the road. Sadly though, Thomas wasn’t one of them. “I made a few moves but drifted back. You know what it’s like — since 2015 really, I’ve always been close to GC, so you end up in that ‘too far back to follow moves’ zone. Then there’s a split and you’re like, ‘I need to move up.’ But it was lined out, so I just waited,” he explains. “Then I saw this group go—50 odd guys. I heard on the radio we had five guys in there. Carlos Rodríguez was best on GC, along with Connor Swift, Tobias Foss, Axel Laurance, and Thyman Arensman. They did a great job establishing a gap.”
Sadly for the INEOS lot and the entire breakaway however, the peloton kept a firm leash. Thomas though, wasn’t impressed by the tactics of some teams at the front of the bunch. “Carlos started the day five and a half back. No need to stress about that. Just let UAE do the chasing. They’re going to do it anyway. But EF and Uno-X both gave two guys — seems like a waste to me. Protecting 10th place with nine days to go? Nah. Just let UAE burn through their guys,” he lamented.
Another issue was the unfair advantage given to the peloton by race motorbikes. “Our group — the peloton — was still 100 guys, and it was lined out. The moto was maybe 20–30 meters ahead. At 54k an hour, you’re getting a draft, no question,” he explains. “Everyone was complaining. I rode up to Visma and asked the boys, ‘Is it just me or has that moto been there all day?’ And they agreed. But it’s not the rider’s fault — if the moto’s there, you’re going to use it.”
“It’s an age-old problem in cycling,” Thomas adds. “The guys on the moto are just doing their job — getting footage — but it can change races.”