Geraint Thomas withdraws from Giro d’Italia – days after Welshman’s hopes of winning Grand Tour went up in smoke following collision with police bike

GERAINT THOMAS will focus on helping Chris Froome win a fourth Tour de France after being forced to pull out of the Giro d’Italia.

The Team Sky ace quit before yesterday’s stage 13 due to the shoulder and knee injuries he suffered in a crash last Sunday.

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Thomas was caught-up in a pile-up caused by another rider clipping a police motorbike while lying second overall and lost over five minutes.

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The Welshman, 30, said: “I’ll turn my attention to the Tour now, and I want to arrive there with as good form as I started the Giro.

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“I’ve been suffering since my crash. I’ve had an issue with my shoulder which is manageable, but my knee has also been getting worse each day.

“Obviously it’s never nice to leave a race early, especially when it’s your main goal of the season, but I have to look at the bigger picture.

“I’d love to continue, but it would be a case of trying to survive each day rather than racing.”

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Thomas finished a superb second in Tuesday’s time trial but after losing over a minute in the last two stages – leaving him over six mins down in 15th – has withdrawn.

The double Olympic champ will recover at his Monaco home before lining-up alongside Froome on July 1 having helped his pal with three Yellow Jerseys.

Colombia’s Fernando Gaviria bagged his second stage win in a row and fourth on his Giro debut as he sprinted to victory. Holland’s Tom Dumoulin retained the leader’s Pink Jersey.