Geraint Thomas (Team Ineos) kicks off his 2020 season this week at the Volta Ao Algarve. Thomas, a native of Wales, said the race is more about a return to racing than an overall win.

This year, the 2018 Tour de France champion is following the same early path through the calendar as he did two seasons ago. On that occasion, he took a time trial stage win in the Volta ao Algarve to finish second overall, but he insists he is not in the same form this time around.

"It's been a good off-season. I've had a good off-season," he told Cycling News at the start of the first stage in Portimão. Right now I'm still just trying to get on the bike."

"I'm feeling good. I feel good enough to immerse myself in the race. Not to win, but to help everyone and win with everyone." [This race is a return to intense competition for Thomas, who has not raced since the Yorkshire World Championships in late September. Michał Kwiatkowski and Ineos' newest member, Rohan Dennis, are his super-domestics.

"It's the first race of the year. The sun is out, we have good roads and good memories. So I want to help everyone out and make sure we have a good five days."

"Those two guys [Kwiatkowski and Dennis] have already raced this year and are in great shape. We will do what we can for them. Of course, if they're in good shape, I'm not going to lose time for them.

The first stage is 195km from Portimão to the neighboring town of Lagos, and Thomas will be looking to speed up on this big ride before the summit finish of stage 2, the Alto da Foia (where the first round of GC will be kicked off), after a long journey to southern Portugal.

"Yesterday we had a pretty long ride to get here, and we got to the hotel pretty late," Thomas said.

"It's going to be a tough day tomorrow," Thomas said, "so I just want to get through the 200 kilometers and get my mind right.

The long, bumpy early stages were not indicative of Thomas' form at the start of the season. Will Thomas get off to another good start?