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Geraint Thomas Is Fine with Banning Power Meters

By We Love Cycling

The Tour de France race director Christian Prudhomme wants to ban the technology as he believes it ‘annihilates the glorious uncertainty of sport’. His promise was met with cheers at the 2019 TdF route presentation in Paris. Despite the fact that even Quick-Step Floors boss Partick Lefevere agrees that power meters do not affect the racing.

The topic is often brought up in connection with Team Sky’s dominance at the Tour since 2012. It appears, however, that the riders from the British team simply do not care.

Geraint Thomas on the podium after finishing second in Le Tour de France – Saitama Criterium 2018 main race on November 4, 2108 in Saitama, Japan. © Profimedia, TEMP Aflo

“It’s fine with me. I don’t think it will affect the race,” Geraint Thomas said at the Saitama Criterium in Japan. “We haven’t won the last six out of seven Tours de France because we’ve got power meters. Should we all put woollen jerseys on too? Have gear changers on our down tubes? I feel that sport needs to keep evolving and pushing forward, a bit like Formula One. The team try to do that all the time. But it seems that the people in charge want to hold it back.”

UCI president David Lappartient had already cut Grand Tour team sizes from nine to eight, but Sky had won the Giro and Tour anyway. Romain Bardet went even further and suggested cutting team sizes to six while others mention banning race radios and introducing salary caps.

Do you think these suggestions might bring more thrill into the racing? Let us know!