Twenty-four hours after showing weakness on the Tourmalet, defending champion Geraint Thomas (Team Ineos) fought back to provide a timely reminder that despite not having the form of twelve months ago he is still a contender for this year`s Tour de France. Thomas couldn`t follow the very best but still managed to attack with just under two kilometers to go on stage 15. He put 27 seconds into race leader Julian Alaphilippe, who showed the first signs of weakness after two weeks of racing, but both Thibaut Pinot and Thomas`s teammate Egan Bernal both put time into the Welshman for the second day in a row. Thomas leaves the Pyrenees in second place overall, 1:35 down on yellow, but with Pinot and Bernal both closing. Both riders pose very different but pertinent questions at this point in the race. Although Pinot is the strongest rider in the race, on present form Team Ineos will be confident that they can turn the tables in the Alps. However, how Thomas deals with Bernal is a far more delicate proposition. He cannot climb with his Colombian teammate, and with no more time trial kilometers between here and Paris the 27-second gap between the two could easily be washed away once the race begins to climb again.ADVERTISEMENT For now, at least, those are questions are for another day and the stage finish at Foix-Prat d`Albis demonstrated that Thomas` difficulties on the Tourmalet had slightly subsided. `I felt better than yesterday but I needed to just try and pace it when it all kicked off. Wout Poels was really good so I just stayed with him,` Thomas said at the line. When Pinot attacked with 6km to go, only Bernal, Alphilippe, and Emanuel Buchmann could follow. But the Groupama-FDJ rider was on a mission and before the finish, he had dropped his companions one-by-one and picked up Mikel Landa (Movistar) for good measure. The Frenchman took second on the line behind breakaway winner Simon Yates and after two weeks of racing, Pinot looks like France`s best hope o ...
|
