Coaching, Hangovers, Skiing - Thomas' Retirement In His Own Words

Geraint Thomas is emotion fragile. It's nan greeting aft nan nighttime before, erstwhile nan erstwhile Tour de France champion brought nan curtain down connected his sparkling career.

After Sunday's last shape of nan Tour of Britain, Thomas was greeted by thousands astatine a typical ceremonial astatine Cardiff Castle, earlier heading disconnected for a statement pinch family and friends.

Usually, nan 39-year-old would beryllium reasoning astir really champion to retrieve from his hangover successful mentation for his adjacent training thrust aliases race.

But having crossed nan decorativeness statement for nan last time, astatine nan extremity of a profession that spanned 3 different decades, Thomas needn't interest astir racing anymore.

The double Olympic golden medallist and three-time world champion invited BBC Sport Wales to his location to bespeak connected Sunday's farewell and look up to what nan early holds.

BBC Sport Wales: How were past night's celebrations?

Geraint Thomas: "It was good. I struggled to get up this morning. I didn't moreover perceive you travel in, actually, and past my father-in-law woke maine up and said 'They're each downstairs waiting for you'. I was like, 'Oh, man'. I don't really retrieve that overmuch towards nan extremity of nan night, but it was great, nan bits I do remember.

"The castle, everyone location was conscionable amazing. The decorativeness pinch nan crowd astatine nan podium and past we went into municipality pinch conscionable nan squad and friends and family, and it was really good. I'm conscionable suffering now, but it was each worthy it."

Reflecting connected Sunday, we don't often spot you emotional. It was specified a awesome turnout. How was your last race?

"It was conscionable astonishing to decorativeness successful Cardiff. I'm truthful fortunate nan Tour of Britain is erstwhile it is, this clip of twelvemonth astatine nan extremity of nan season, truthful we could decorativeness here. The organisers making nan decorativeness successful Cardiff was nan worldly of dreams. It was unreal riding done Birchgrove, wherever I grew up, by my mum and dad's house, past Maindy (Thomas' first cycling club), there's nary amended measurement to finish."

This is nan first time of a caller section successful your life. Is this thing you prepared for?

"Not really. I person an thought of what I'm going to do professionally, stay pinch nan squad (Ineos Grenadiers) much than likely. I consciousness for illustration I've sewage a batch of acquisition to connection there.

"But past there's a full different broadside of not having to thrust a motorcycle anymore but still wanting to beryllium progressive and possibly trying immoderate different sports. I've bigged myself up astir doing an Ironman, but now I'm starting to regret that! I'd still emotion to do one. I wouldn't beryllium taking it excessively seriously.

"I've booked a skiing vacation for January, which is thing I've ne'er done before. I'm doing everything I've put disconnected for nan past 20 years."

You mentioned a domiciled pinch nan team. What benignant of domiciled do you envisage?

"I said to Dave [Brailsford] astir it rather a lot, and a batch of it is sitting backmost and taking it each in. As an athlete, I cognize a batch of astir preparing for racing and doing my thing, but nan squad connected nan full is simply a full organisation.

"So conscionable figuring retired really that each useful but nan main point would beryllium moving pinch riders, their goals and really you hole for it, getting title programmes and nan training and everything and past going to races and executing those plans. So that's exciting.

"That's thing I've done for nan past 20 years and now it's benignant of doing it connected a bigger scale. That's nan wide idea. Nothing's confirmed yet but I consciousness for illustration doing thing that would excite me.

"Working pinch guys for illustration Filippo Ganna who's sewage a awesome chance of winning immoderate large one-day races for illustration Paris-Roubaix, Milan-San Remo. Then you've sewage nan younger guys coming through, for illustration Josh Tarling, who's only 21, truthful conscionable helping guys for illustration that and sharing my knowledge and experience."

What will you miss nan most?

"I deliberation they camaraderie successful nan team, erstwhile you're each successful it together retired connected nan roadworthy and afterwards arsenic well, erstwhile you debrief and you're talking astir what happened. It sounds a spot corny but it's benignant of for illustration a set of brothers type of consciousness to it. I'll decidedly miss that.

"But past there's a hellhole of a batch that I won't miss. Obviously, nan training, nan clip distant and stuff, but it was decidedly a batch much bully than bad. It's decidedly nan correct clip to telephone it a day."

Speaking to your parents past night, they said they were relieved you'd vanished successful 1 piece. After each nan crashes and injuries, is it a alleviation to travel to nan end?

"Calling clip connected your profession connected your ain position is rare, truthful that's what I'm astir relieved about. When it comes to crashes and stuff, you don't really deliberation astir it arsenic an athlete. I cognize a fewer rugby boys and they don't deliberation astir getting injured, but everyone that cares astir them does. It's nan aforesaid point for me.

"Sa (Thomas' woman Sara) struggles to watch it. She was watching from workplace 1 time and that's erstwhile I deed a telegraph rod and vanished disconnected a cliff. From that day, she didn't really watch anymore. My mum, I don't deliberation she's watched maine title since I've been 18. So yeah, they're decidedly relieved that I've stopped, and successful 1 piece.

"But for me, I've ne'er really thought astir it because different I wouldn't beryllium capable to do it. It's almost for illustration you conscionable return that pin retired and you conscionable go."

What are you looking guardant to astir successful nan adjacent section of your life?

"Definitely being astir much pinch my family, doing immoderate different sports, moving backmost to Cardiff arsenic good successful a twelvemonth aliases so's time. It's a large alteration – I've lived connected nan Cote d'Azur for 13 years. It's going to return a spot of adjusting to nan upwind and everything.

"But it conscionable feels correct for each of us, for Sa, for me, for Macs (Thomas' son) to travel home, to beryllium astir family more. We're sending Macs to a Welsh schoolhouse truthful I'm decidedly going to study immoderate Welsh. I can't person him speaking to Sa down my back!

"It's a caller section and I'm looking guardant to caller things now."