Thomas ready to roll in Australia

Geraint Thomas is hoping 2016 will be his best year yet as he prepares to get going at the Tour Down Under.

Geraint Thomas is as motivated as ever heading into his 10th season as a professional, and is hoping 2016 will be his best year yet as he prepares to get going at the Tour Down Under.

Thomas earned himself a new legion of fans with a storming ride at the Tour de France last season, and goes into his seventh Tour Down Under as one of the favourites after a solid winter in the saddle.

The Welshman enjoys a close affinity with the first WorldTour race of the season, having won a stage back in 2013 and played his part in six further successes. He believes Team Sky have a great chance of continuing that run when the action gets under way on Tuesday following Sunday's People's Choice Classic.

Geraint took time out from his preparations to give us his thoughts on the 18th edition, and to share his goals for later in the season:

How's your winter been and how are your legs heading into the race?

Good. I had the longest period I've ever had off the bike at the end of last season. It finished a bit sooner than I'd have liked because I was so tired after the Vuelta, and although I was disappointed to miss the World Championships, that extra downtime was really good for me. I got married and went on my honeymoon, and that mental break meant I was really motivated to get going again at the end of last year. I've had a great winter since then, the weather was good in Monaco and Majorca, and obviously it's brilliant here in Australia too.

How do you stay so motivated season after season?

I don't know - I always want to improve and get better I guess. I had the best season I've ever had last season and I want to improve on that now. My performance at the Tour de France has given me bags of confidence, and I'm excited to see how far I can go now.

Are you looking to get this season off with a bang then?

I'm not really setting myself any goals right now. The Tour Down Under is part of my build up for March and April, and then on to the Tour de France, but I'm definitely motivated and still want to go well. Hopefully I'll have the legs to get stuck in, and if I could get a stage win or a good overall result, that'd be great.

We've definitely got different options here, haven't we?

Yes. Sergio Henao's looking good after spending the winter at altitude in Colombia, and Pete Kennaugh's in decent shape too. They're both motivated to have a good race, as is everyone in the squad. It's one of the strongest teams we've ever had here.

Who do you consider as the pre-race favourites?

BMC are looking strong with Richie [Porte] and Rohan [Dennis]. Rohan's shown the better form so far this season, and is defending champion, but you can never count Richie out. Simon Gerrans is another - he missed the race last year but loves riding on home turf, and then there's guys like Jack Bobridge and Cameron Meyer who will also be looking to impress. As well as the Aussies, there's always a few surprises packages from Europe, so it's going to be a really open race.

Will it be weird going up against your former team-mate Richie Porte?

Yes, definitely. It was weird seeing him in a BMC jersey at the Australian Championships and it'll be strange racing against him. I'm sure we'll have a bit of banter out there on the road and have a good race.  

The Corkscrew climb obviously holds good memories for you, are you happy to see it making its return to the route on stage three?

Yes. The finish is different to when I won the stage there back in 2013, but it's always nice to return to somewhere where you've got happy memories.

Looking further ahead, what are your goals for the first half of the season?

The spring block is very important to me. It kicks off with Paris-Nice and then I'll go on to the Volta a Catalunya, look to ride well there and then go into the Tour of Flanders, Liege-Bastogne-Liege and the Tour de Romandie. I want to change things up a bit this year. I've focused a lot on the cobbled classics in the past, so it'll be nice to have a different flow to my season.

So you'll be looking to focus a bit more on stage races then this season?

I think so. I've always done alright in week-long races - there's been a gradual progression over the course of my career, and hopefully that will continue in 2016. If I can ride well in the races I've just mentioned, I'd love to go into the Tour de France as back up option for Chris [Froome].

People are already talking about what you can do in the Tour de France. Given the performance you had there last season, is there more pressure being put upon you this time around?

I don't feel any extra pressure, no. I haven't had any put on me from the team, and I'm not putting any on myself. More people seem to know who I am now, and that brings a bit of added pressure, I guess. I get recognized a lot more off the bike now, especially back home in Wales. It's pretty surreal, but nice at the same time, and hopefully I can give them something to cheer about both here in Oz, and at the Tour de France in July.