Unlike many other WorldTour riders, Tao Geoghegan Hart sees little point in publicly outlining grand plans for 2025, instead opting to compete in every race once the new campaign begins.
The 29-year-old won the Giro d’Italia in 2020 and appeared to be back in form in 2023, but suffered a broken leg in a high-speed fall during the Giro that year. Geoghegan Hart won the Tour of the Alps that spring and explained on a recent media call that he initially believed he would challenge for the Giro d’Italia again if he hadn’t crashed.
The London-born rider believes he is more than capable of returning to those heights again. But he said he’s a realist and explained that he knows it will take time to get to that level again. Instead, he wants to focus on the process and get back competitive in smaller competitions before thinking about bigger ambitions.
He said: “When I was a young rider, one of the managers of my old team said there were basically three types of riders. There were riders who were winning races, riders who were learning to win races and riders who were helping others win races.
“At this point in my career I really wanted to be a results rider. The day I broke my leg I was 100 per cent sure that I was going to fight for the GC in that Grand Tour, which is It’s a very inspiring thing for me and that’s why I started this sport.
“That’s the goal, to get back there. But first, there are some steps before that, and that is to stay competitive, even in smaller tournaments. My goal is to get back in the game and lead my team and my teammates, To form a good team I really try to win games in a good way, or at least try.”
(Image source: Getty Images)
Geoghegan Hart’s seven-year tenure at Ineos comes to an end in August 2023, when he announced a three-year contract with Lidl-Trek. He aimed to compete in the Tour de France with a new team in 2024 before a period of illness meant he needed to change his plans.
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Given everything he’s been through over the past two years, he now sees little point in making a big statement of intent in the traditional way this time of year, and instead thinks it makes more sense to take action one step at a time, starting with Volta. Taking place in the Algarve in February, it will be his first game of the season.
“I really want to focus on the first period and not play-by-play,” he said. “That’s my big goal. This time of year, there’s a lot of headlines about people’s goals and announcements, but that’s just the reality for me. I think it’s a little ridiculous to ignore that and start looking at big goals.”
He added: “I did give it a try when I came back last year. We had discussed the Tour with the team before I even got on the bike. It was very encouraging at the time but now it feels like a more logical approach is to just focus on Get back to your best.”
Ultimately, Geoghegan Hart hopes to continue to have a positive impact in Lidl-Trek’s new environment and help move the team forward wherever possible.
“It would be nice to get some wins,” he continued. “I hope to be here next year and see the team recognize my contribution in the race, leading the team, doing that both on and off the bike. That’s important to me. It’s about feeling the goal is being satisfied.”
