Geraint Thomas downed by friendly fire at Volta ao Algarve
Welshman settles for second as Kwiatkowski makes the right move, at th💃e right time





Heading into the final stage at the 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Volta ao Algarve, the consensus within the peloton was that 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Geraint Thomas (Team Sky) held a substantial enou𝓰gh lead to win his third crown.
Volta ao Algarve: Kwiat🍨kowski wins stage 2 mountain finish to Foia
168澳洲5最新开奖结果:❀Geraint Thomas takes yellow at Volta ao Algarve
168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Volta ao Algarve: Thomas wins stag𝐆e 3
168♛澳洲5最新开奖结果:Geraint ꦑThomas extends lead at Volta ao Algarve
168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Volta ao Algarve: Kwiatkowski win𒁏s the o🦹verall
The script, however, was well and truly ripped up when a d🅘angerous 31-man move went cleౠar in the opening kilometres. Luckily for Team Sky, second placed rider Michal Kwiatkowski had made it into the move along with Michal Golas. The pair formed part of a group that held on until the finish, with Kwiatkowski winning the stage and bumping Thomas down into second place overall.
It⭕ may not have been the initial plan Team Sky had drawn up, but such has been their domiꦍnance in Algarve that they conceivably could have claimed up the GC no matter what tactics played out on the final stage to Malhao.
At the finish, Kwi🥀atkowski topped the podium with Thomas second at 1:31 and American Tejay van Garderen (BMC Racing) third at 2:16. The break's success ensured that the showdown between the WorldTour climbers at the race never materialised, with Team Sky picking up three stages out of five throughout the weꦛek.
"It was a big break and obviously Kwiatkowski was there. All the other teams were happy, they had guys t🅰here and that was it," Thomas said at the finish.
"We kept it around three or four minuteﷺs, but nobody 𝓰wanted to chase for the stage. That was it," he repeated.
The move from Kwiatkowski was not planned, but once the opportunistic Pole was clear, the game pꦡlan at Team Sky needed to change. Thomas and his remaining teammates held the break at under four minutes, but with each passing kilometre the pressure switched to Kwiatkowski. If he faltered, then the stage and race could slip from the team's grasp.
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"I think we were just following moves, and it j💛ust so happened that he went across," Thomas added💦.
"Nobody really followed, and the gap just went. At least the team won, but for sure I would hꦰave liked to haveꦿ kept the jersey. The form and the legs are still good, so it's a good start to the season.
"The way things were with♏ the numbers in the break, every team just fancied their chances for the stage win. It just happened and that was it."
With the race slipping away from him but Kwiatkowski still winning, Thomas admitted that the last slog up the final climb was me♔ntally tough. At the finish, the Welshman and Kwiatkowski embraceꦆd, in a show that proved that there was no ill feeling between them. Thomas could at least console himself with a stage win and second overall.
"It was hard on the head at times, especially the last time up the climb, I was thinking to myself 'what areও we racing for?' when people started attacking. I just found out that I'm still on the podium, so that's quite nice I guess."
Daniel Benson was the Editor in Chief at gxiaowu.com between 2008 and 2022. Based in the UK, he joined the Cyclingnews team in 2008 as the site's first UK-based Managing Editor. In that time, he reported on over a dozen editions of the Tour de France, several World Championships, the Tour Down Under, Spring Classics, and the London 2012 Olympic Games. With the help of the excellent editorial team, he ran the c🍷overage on Cyclingnews and has interviewed leading figures in the sport including UCI Presidents and Tour de France winners.