After more than two decades at the very top of world cycling, Olympic gold medallist and Tour de France champion Geraint Thomas is saying goodbye to the sport he’s helped transform in Britain.
Later today, he’ll cross his final finish line – not in Paris or on an Alpine summit – but right back where it all began, in his hometown of Cardiff, at the end of the Tour of Britain.
“It’s definitely going to be a strange feeling,” he told Sky News’ sports presenter Jacquie Beltrao.
“I think tomorrow when I see Macs, my son, and Sara, my wife, I think it’s going to, yeah, I think that’s when it’ll hit me.”
Asked if there would be any tears, he said: “I think I’ll definitely be leaving my glasses on.”
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Recalling how he first got a passion for racing as a kid in Maindy, which is about a kilometre and a half from today’s finish line, he said: “It’s crazy now when you think, whatever it is, like over 25 years later to have had the career I’ve had is bonkers really.”
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From gold on the track at London 2012, to the yellow jersey in 2018, Thomas’ journey has been nothing short of remarkable.
Talking about his achievements, he said “obviously Olympic medals were insane”, but “I think the tour [de France] was something else.
“I think Yellow Jersey is so iconic, everybody knows what the Tour de France is, no matter where you are in the world.
“So, yeah, I think that, you know, everything changed after that. Like, my life definitely changed after that and for the better.”
