Last month, Geraint Thomas hinted at the idea of switching to the Giro d'Italia in 2023, and with the announcement of the route for the next Tour de France last weekend, that plan has taken shape.

In contrast to the Giro's tremendous 70-km time trial, the Tour has done away with all clock races, including a 22-km time trial in the Alps.

While the peloton's pure climbers have welcomed the parcours, Thomas, the 2018 Tour winner and this year's third-place finisher, is in the overall race to advance against the clock. As such, he has reacted with disappointment, and a bit of bewilderment.

"I'm not too sure why they did that," Thomas told Cycling News in Saitama.

"When I first came to the Tour in 2007, no, it was a long time ago, there were two TTs over 50 kilometers.

"The TT days are also big, symbolic stages. There were only three big group sprints this year, but they are also symbolic stages. Maybe they are trying to mix it up completely. It's a shame there aren't more time trials."

Next year's Tour is not the most attractive proposition for Thomas, but the route is not a deal breaker. All of his biggest rivals can now do the time trial as well as he can, and the parcours reinforced his belief that the 2023 Giro is the way forward for him.

"That's what I was thinking anyway. The Giro is not so intense, the atmosphere and everything. I'd like to ride it another time."

Having taken every step of the Tour podium, the 36-year-old feels he has fulfilled all his requirements in France, but has unfinished business in Italy.

Thomas has ridden the Corsa Rosa four times. Twice early in his career and twice after he emerged as a stage racer.

"I've crashed the last two times, but I've always enjoyed this race. I hope I can come back and finish the race again," Thomas said.

"There's a little bit of 'what could have been'; I was in really good shape in 2020. Even the race before that, my bike was parked on the road and I was on ....... I wanted to see what would have happened to me."

Thomas made no mention of going for GC in next year's Giro. He played a last-minute leadership role in this year's Tour, but it appears that he will be back in the water next year.

"How I treat it is to be in the Giro as long as I can. Whether that means going for a stage or running the GC is another matter. But I would love to be in the Giro."

"It's similar to this year's Tour.