Geraint Thomas writes: “I’m back in sunny Cardiff after a very hard and bruising Paris Roubaix! The race went quite differently compared to the weekend before in Flanders. There was a lot of talk and hype over my ride that week and my chances for Paris Roubaix. It was nice to read tweets and emails people had sent me, but I didn’t feel ‘under pressure’ to perform. I was just really excited about riding one of the biggest one day races of the year.
From the start I felt good and everything was going to plan. The team were looking after me nicely and I was at the front out of trouble. Then on the section of pave before the Arenberg Forest, I hit some dust and gravel and was on the deck before I knew it. It wasn’t a major issue as some of the lads helped me back on. But as soon as I was on, there was another crash as we entered the forest. Due to the railings holding the crowd back, I had nowhere to go and was on the ground again. Brad gave me his back wheel and I was away again.
After a hard chase, I was back on with Boonen and Chavenel. Then yep you guessed it down again! It wasn’t the best day for me. This final crash hurt the most and it took me a while to get back up. My hip was cut pretty badly. I managed to finish (albeit out of the time limit) but my race was over. It was really frustrating and annoying at the time but that’s bike racing and that is Paris Roubaix. The team still had two guys in the top 10 with Flecha and soon to be dad, Mathew Hayman.
I now have a few days off to relax after a very hectic start of the year. Since the middle of February I’ve been home 13 days so it’s nice to have some down time. I’m still riding my bike though. I was at the Celtic Manor Resort in Newport yesterday with Pritchard from Dirty Sanchez and his mates Adam, Alex and Nathan who are all top guys training for the Bolton Ironman Challenge on July 31st. It was good to meet them and hopefully pass on some useful tips. The BBC were on hand to see how the guys performed and apart from Pritch ending up in a hedge, it all went really well! They are doing it to raise money for Ty Hafan which is a great childrens charity. Special thanks to Malwyn Ransom of Take Two Productions and Rebecca Ransom at Pedal Wales for supporting us on the Ironman training ride and capturing it all on film.
It’s always good to ride on the old roads I used to train on as a kid. You can’t beat Wales for training, especially when the sun is shining!!
G
