Nick Westby: Geraint Thomas robbed of chance to prove his grand tour credentials

Over the opening nine stages of the Giro d’Italia, the 30-year-old leading Team Sky’s bid for general classification honours for the first time in a grand tour, had positioned himself nicely.

He was in second place and six seconds off the pace as the race headed towards the mountains.

Then on Sunday his hopes came crashing down around him through no fault of his own, when a police motorbike rode into the path of rival Wilco Kelderman who had nowhere to go but into the side of the Team Sky train that he then wiped out. Thomas subsequently tumbled down the standings and is now more than five minutes behind leader Nairo Quintana.

How unfair – and how wrong – that factors outside of cycling should decide his chances of winning a grand tour. That is not how years of hard work should be rewarded, or how talent should be measured.