Geraint Thomas, who won the Volta ao Algarve the last month, did a great performance at Paris-Nice with a 5th place overall. The Team Sky rider has also given his reaction to some of the findings in the C.I.R.C.’s report into doping, the Cycling Independent Reform Commission. In this report, a unnamed current professional rider said that “90% of the peloton was doping, although he thought that there was little orchestrated team doping in the manner that teams had previously employed”.

“I can only comment on me and this team and I know we do – and I know I do it – 100 per cent [clean]. It’s quite insulting when people say it’s still really filthy, because that’s saying that I’m doing something wrong”, he explained according to Cycling Weekly. “I dedicate everything to this. You do everything you can you sleep well, you try not to eat to get skinny. It’s hard bloody work, you know. It’s insulting… when they say something like that.”

“You look at older riders who have done it in the past, they are the most cynical about it all because they don’t know any other way, they think you can’t do it. But you certainly can,” said Thomas. “You look at Brad, you look at Froomey. I’d put all the money I had that they are clean. Obviously I can’t say 100 per cent, but 99.999.”