Geraint Thomas back training for Tour de France after Suisse crash

Geraint Thomas (Team Ineos) is back on his bike and training again for the Tour de France after the crash that forced him out of the Tour de Suisse on Tuesday.

The Welshman crashed heavily with 30km remaining on stage 4 of the race, and stayed on the ground for some time, raising concerns over the defence of his Tour de France title next month.

However, despite leaving the race and heading to hospital, it was later determined he had sustained no serious injuries. He suffered abrasions to his shoulders and a cut above his right eye, with concussion always a worry when it comes to head impacts.

Thomas has rested for two days but issued an update on Friday to say he was back training.

“Back on the bike today, beautiful day for it,” he said in a video message.

“Nice easy spin, get home watch end of Suisse, and hoping the boys finish that job off.”

Egan Bernal did indeed win the stage at the Tour de Suisse, extending his overall lead, and the Colombian’s case for co-leadership at Team Ineos is growing. Thomas was set to lead the line with Chris Froome, but the four-time champion suffered a far worse crash just a few days previously, ruling him out for the rest of the season.

As for Thomas, even if uninjured, missing out on four key days of racing puts him on the back foot in terms of preparation for the Tour and he recognised he has some big training efforts to complete in the coming days. The Tour gets underway in Brussels on July 6.

“All good with me, just a little cut above the eye,” Thomas said of his injuries. “But back to it – big week next week.”