“Can’t beat racing in Spain in August”: Geraint Thomas ‘confirms’ Vuelta as final race before retirement… and Pro Cycling Stats falls for it; Tom Pidcock to make Giro d’Italia debut in “fantastic opportunity”; April Fools roundup + more on the live blog

Hmmm… One of the peloton’s biggest mischief makers choosing the first day of April to announce a big change to his calendar? Sounds legit to me.

This morning, Geraint Thomas ‘confirmed’ on social media that he will race this year’s Vuelta a España, making the Spanish grand tour the 2018 Tour de France winner’s final race before he hangs up his wheels at the end of the year.

“Enjoying my final year so much on the bike, I’ve decided to add the Vuelta to my programme,” the 38-year-old Ineos rider wrote on Twitter this morning, complete with sunglasses emoji.

“Can’t beat racing in Spain in August. One last time.”

If true, this year’s final grand tour would mark Thomas’s third attempt at the Vuelta, where he finished 31st in 2023 and 69th in 2015.

Enjoying my final year so much on the bike, I’ve decided to add the Vuelta to my programme 😎 Can’t beat racing in Spain in August. One last time 🇪🇸👌 pic.twitter.com/iseT3d1LR7

— Geraint Thomas (@GeraintThomas86) April 1, 2025

But… besides the date he chose to make this announcement, there’s just the small matter of the Tour of Britain to consider.

That race’s early September slot clashes directly with the Spanish grand tour, and (most importantly) when Thomas announced his retirement plans back in February, he earmarked the Tour of Britain as the perfect opportunity to bow out on home roads.

“If you could pick anything then it would be finishing on home roads and the Tour of Britain is exactly that,” Thomas said on his podcast after confirming his retirement.

“Rod [Ellingworth], who’s my old coach from the academy, then obviously he was part of Sky for so many years, he’s the race director there as well.

“So I’ve asked him to pull a few favours, possibly go into Wales for the final stage, possibly Cardiff city centre outside the castle, that would be awesome.”

Oh, and what’s more, last week – as he raced in dreadful conditions at the Volta a Catalunya, Thomas noted that the race would be his last as a professional in Spain.

“Thought I’d give Spain one more chance... And it rains on day one. More Cardiff than Catalunya. #spainisforholidays,” he wrote on Instagram.

 

 

 

 

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And that’s before we get on to his dismissive attitude towards the Vuelta in the past:

> "Spain's for holidays, not riding a bike": Geraint Thomas weighs in on Roglič leadership debate, says "no one cares if you've won three, four, five Vueltas"

So – pretty conclusive proof that G’s having us all on by claiming he’s set to race for three long weeks in the scorching heat of Spain, turning his back on an emotional homecoming celebrating his career and its impact on British cycling.

However, it seems nobody told Pro Cycling Stats about the date on the calendar, as the helpful if occasionally problematic results site rushed to update Thomas’s schedule for 2025, adding the Vuelta in after the Tour de Romandie and his final Tour de France:

Oops.

Egan Bernal’s remarkable recovery from a potentially life-threatening training crash, back to the heights of WorldTour racing, has been studied as part of a newly published medical research paper.

Read more: > Egan Bernal’s recovery from life-threatening horror crash detailed in medical research paper

 

 

 

 

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Where’s West Brom fan and noted e-bike investigator Adrian Chiles? Surely he’d be all over this?

> Five cool things coming soon from Scott, Boardman, Hutchinson, Farsports, and Temple Cycles

No, it’s not just us, Geraint Thomas, and Manx Radio who have been busy wasting time dreaming up inane April Fools’ Day stories.

The Canadian Cycling Magazine, for instance, ‘reported’ that newly unemployed former prime minister Justin Trudeau was set to pull a reverse Donald – going from statesman to bike race organiser – after announcing “an ambitious new cycling project” for 2026, the five-day Tour de Trudeau.

 

 

 

 

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And speaking of outlandish bike races, Band of Climbers touted the idea of a downhill amateur time trial on Alpe d’Huez, complete with “human safety barriers” and a free beer at the summit – for courage, I suspect – before plunging down the 13km descent at 100kph.

The Tor Divide, meanwhile, claimed that bikepacking was set to be added to the Olympics (the mention of ‘Paris 28’ flagging that one up quickly as a joke), while down under, a mountain biking group reported that tubeless sealant was set to be banned at a popular MTB park due to “environmental concerns”.

 

 

 

 

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And finally, SingleTrackWorld came up with the very believable story that a Private Members’ Bill has been lodged seeking to reclassify all e-bikes as motorbikes, banning them from bridleways, after dog walkers claimed “they’ve ruined our lives”.

As we said earlier, we need to stop giving them ideas…

Yes, it’s official – Tom Pidcock will be making his debut at the Giro d’Italia next month, after his Q36.5 Pro Cycling received a wildcard invitation to the first grand tour of the year.

Pidcock’s team will join Israel-Premier Tech, Tudor Pro Cycling, Polti VisitMalta, and VF Group Bardiani CSF-Faizanè as the five second-tier ProTeams on the start line in Albania, after the UCI agreed yesterday to increase the number of teams permitted to compete at men’s grand tours from 22 to 23.

As the two highest ranked ProTeams, Israel-Premier Tech and Lotto were guaranteed invites to this year’s editions of the Tour de France, Giro d’Italia, and Vuelta a España. But with Lotto turning down their spot at the Giro, organisers RCS were then able to invite four wildcard teams, settling on two Italian squads, along with Pidcock’s Q36.5 outfit and the Julian Alaphilippe-led Tudor.

The 2025 Corsa Rosa has been pencilled in on Pidcock’s calendar since his move from Ineos to second-tier Q36.5 over the winter, and will mark the 25-year-old’s first appearance at the elite version of the Italian grand tour.

Pidcock has, however, won the U23 version, known as the Baby Giro, taking three stages and the overall back in 2020 in a ruthlessly dominant display.

The Yorkshire rider has been in sparking form since his arrival at Q36.5, following a tense final year with Ineos and a subsequent protracted transfer saga, winning two stages and the GC at the AlUla Tour, a stage of the Vuelta a Andalucia, and taking second behind Tadej Pogačar at Strade Bianche, while looking like the only rider capable of following, for a decent spell at least, the rampant world champion.

“I think it is a fantastic opportunity for us as a team,” Pidcock said in a statement this morning.

“It’s what we have wanted to be a part of since I joined this team, and now it’s become a reality. I think it’s going to be a pretty exciting race with lots of different opportunities.

“I am looking forward to racing with the team and showcasing our partners, especially Q36.5 as an Italian brand. I’m glad we have this opportunity, and I’m motivated to make the most of it.”

Meanwhile, Q36.5 chief Doug Ryder said: “I am really happy we received this invitation, and I would like to thank RCS for inviting us. It’s truly a privilege to be a part of the Corsa Rosa this year.

“With seven victories so far this season, we have demonstrated what we are capable of. Starting our first Grand Tour as Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team is a dream come true. Our connection to Italy runs deep, with our title partner, Q36.5, a high-performance cycling apparel brand based in Italy, now set to be showcased in the country’s most prestigious race.

“Looking at the course, I believe it suits our riders well, particularly our team leader, Tom Pidcock, who has already shown his strength on Italian roads this year in Strade Bianche and Tirreno-Adriatico.

“While there are specific stages we are especially excited about, above all, I am incredibly proud of our team, our staff, and the founding partners who have supported us on this journey to the highest levels of the sport.”

As expected, however, there will be no Tour de France this year for Pidcock and his new team. The UCI’s decision to approve a request to increase the number of teams taking part in grand tours also prompted Tour organisers ASO to immediately confirm their wildcard slots, with TotalEnergies, Tudor, and Uno-X Mobility filling those berths.

Speaking of Welsh cyclists…

Cycling UK has warned the Welsh government that dropping cycling projects from its list of transport priorities would “risk missing the opportunity” to enable more people to access cycled journeys in the country.

The Welsh Labour Transport Secretary Ken Skates says the government has “listened to the people of Wales” and the immediate priority will be seeing active travel “first and foremost, through the eyes of those who are most vulnerable, elderly people, people who use wheelchairs”.

Read more: > Welsh Labour government to prioritise walking projects over cycle lanes, as cycling campaigners fear “missed opportunity”

The CIC Mont Ventoux has been cancelled for the second year in succession due to budget issues related to TV production, according to reports.

The one-day race, established in 2019 as the Mont Ventoux Dénivelé Challenge, saw riders tackle two ascents of the iconic bald mountain in Provence.

However, the 2023 race – won in a six-man sprint by the then-19-year-old Lenny Martinez – was shortened to just (just) the one climb to the legendary summit due to bad weather, while last year’s race was cancelled completely due to a clash with the passing of the Olympic torch relay on the mountain.

A women’s version of the race was also held in 2022, and won by Marta Cavalli, but was cancelled the following year.

 

 

 

 

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And it appears that Martinez’s win in 2023 may ultimately prove the last for the short-lived event, with Le Gruppetto reporting this morning that this year’s CIC Mont Ventoux, scheduled for 6 June, has been cancelled, with organisers citing the rising costs associated with TV production as a key factor behind the decision to axe the race.

With the race also being removed from the UCI’s calendar for 2025, that looks like it could be the definitive end for the kind of race 14-year-old Ryan daydreamed about while playing Pro Cycling Manager.

But hey, at least we have a visit to Mont Ventoux to look forward to at the Tour de France this year, anyway…