Geraint Thomas has said the Tour de France, and pro cycling generally, had changed enormously, pointing out it took him a decade to climb to the top of the sport but now young riders were become prolific winners aged 21.
He also said the nature of racing had changed as there was now no time for easier starts, adding he always expected to have to concentrate for four to five hours because hard racing was the order of the day for the start line, unlike before.
Thomas, the 2018 Tour de France winner aiming for the Giro and Tour this year, also believes the hierarchy in the peloton has been broken down, which has brought much more aggressive and less respectful behaviour inside the bunch.
"I've built up (my endurance) through one-day races and shorter stage races, like five or seven days," Thomas said of his early development. "It gradually progressed through the years, and I ended up targeting the Grand Tours and the Tour de France. But that's a bit old school now anyway, progressing slowly."
Advertisement
Related News
He added riders like Jonas Vingegaard, and especially Tadej Pogačar and Remco Evenepoel, who had broken through so young had redefined the sport.
"These days, they come in at 21 and win the bloody thing," he told Red Bull’s Just Ride podcast. "Especially since the pandemic, it kind of accelerated for some reason. These are good kids. But it's just annoying, you know? It took me like ten years to start winning big.
"It used to be more chill, but these days it's full-on from the start to the end - see it as four or five hours of concentration. You used to be able to have a chat with your mates, but now you're in the zone for four or five hours, and only afterwards you chat.
"It’s completely different than how it used to be. It’s like Junior Under 23 racing now. There’s less respect for each other. Everyone just goes where they want, chopping each other up a bit; whereas before, you'd fight for a position, but it’d be a bit calmer.
"Now it's just bonkers. That respect and that hierarchy in the peloton, it kind of was a good thing in a certain way. Now it's just dog-eat-dog, and you got to join them."
