Olympic Games: 'I get the feeling that is all they look at' - Geraint Thomas questions Paris 2024 omission from GB team
Published 09/07/2024 at 16:34 GMT+1
Geraint Thomas has expressed his regret at not making the line-up for Team GB's cycling team for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. The Welshman, currently riding the Tour de France, questioned the selection policy, and said that he could have brought all his considerable "experience" in a bid for gold. Thomas also commented on the "challenging" environment within the Ineos Grenadiers.
Cycling - Tour de France - Stage 10 - Interview – Jonas Vingegaard – ENG
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Geraint Thomas says he "still believes" he could have contributed to Team GB at the 2024 Paris Olympics, as he queried the process for selection.
Thomas, 38, a two-time Olympic gold medallist, won't feature in the French capital, in what would have been his fifth Games.
Thomas is currently competing at the Tour de France for the Ineos Grenadiers, having finished third at the Giro d'Italia earlier this season.
“I expected it, to be honest,” Thomas said of being overlooked for the Games.
“We had a call in March and they said [the selection] was based on one-day races, but I said, ‘well, I’m only doing Strade Bianche and I’m helping the team so I’m not going to stand out on the results sheet.’
"I get the feeling that is all they look at, most of the time.
He added: "I still believe that, on the day, I could contribute to the team [at the Olympics], especially with there being no radios and having a bit of experience.”
Thomas also reflected on how he feels within the new Ineos structure that has seen Sir Dave Brailsford take on a role - still under the Ineos banner - at Manchester United.
Director of racing Steve Cummings was also surprisingly left managing the Tour team remotely.
“It’s challenging," Thomas said.
“Before, it was a lot more straightforward with Dave at the top. There was clarity with everything. There was a simple process, whereas now it’s got a lot more complicated.
“It’s like a coalition government. You need a majority. Even if you didn’t agree with stuff [before] at least there was a clear ‘boom, boom, boom’ – that’s it, move on – rather than this grey area.
“In the past, I’ve come here [the Tour] and known exactly where I’m at and there’s been a minimum standard every day.
“I can still do that, meet minimum expectation, but how I feel doing it, is just so up and down at the minute.”
Tuesday's Stage 10 of the Tour sees the riders travel from Orleans to Saint-Amand-Montrond on a flat day expected to be one for the sprinters.
The road races at the Paris Olympics take place on August 3-4, while the individual time trials are on July 27.
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