Thomas - 10 Races That Shaped The Legend Of 'g'

Geraint Thomas has taken disconnected a title number for nan last time.

One of Great Britain's astir celebrated cyclists, his profession spanned 3 seperate decades and saw him triumph immoderate of nan sport's astir iconic races.

After his final thrust to Cardiff successful nan 2025 Tour of Britain, this is simply a look backmost astatine 10 races that shaped nan fable of 'G'.

Unlike truthful galore of his peers, Geraint Thomas was not drenched successful cycling heritage.

His parents didn't title and he only discovered nan athletics by mishap - spotting a group of riders astatine nan Maindy Velodrome aft a swimming instruction successful nan adjacent pool.

However, his talents were instantly apparent.

He vanished 2nd successful nan Junior Tour of Wales successful 2004 and successful 2005 he announced his presence astatine a world level winning nan inferior type of nan celebrated one-day race, Paris-Roubaix.

A twelvemonth later he turned professional.

Cycling is simply a athletics of suffering and Thomas suffered much than his adjacent share.

He rode almost his full profession without a spleen having had it removed aft a 2005 accident.

In 2013 he rode each nan measurement to Paris contempt breaking his pelvis connected nan opening stage.

In years gone by riders would deliberately suffer clip to declare nan honour of finishing successful past position of nan Tour de France. Such dubious practices had been outlawed by nan clip Thomas rolled to nan commencement statement of his first circuit successful 2007.

At only 21 he was nan youngest rider astatine nan title and he battled each nan measurement to Paris, finishing 140th of 141 riders who made it to nan Champs Elysees.

The span of 18 years betwixt his first and last Tour is nan longest for immoderate rider successful nan history of nan race.

This was nan twelvemonth cycling deed nan mainstream.

It's easy to hide that location was a clip when, only 12 years earlier, Team GB had won a expansive full of conscionable 2 bronze medals astatine nan Atlanta Olympics.

At Beijing successful 2008 they won a colossal 14, including 8 golds.

The Games made family names of nan likes of Sir Bradley Wiggins, Sir Chris Hoy, and Nicole Cooke - and of people Geraint Thomas who gained wider nationalist nickname for nan first clip pinch aureate occurrence arsenic portion of nan squad pursuit squad connected nan track.

There was a constituent successful Geraint Thomas' profession erstwhile galore thought he would everlastingly beryllium seen arsenic a lieutenant alternatively than a general.

He was instrumental successful supporting Chris Froome to aggregate Tour de France victories, capable to assistance connected each terrain from nan large mountains to nan cobbled roads of bluish France.

In 2011 he showed his singular versatility, acting arsenic a sprinter and leading-out Mark Cavendish to a world title connected nan streets of Copenhagen.

Twelve years later, nan brace would repetition nan instrumentality astatine nan 2023 Giro d'Italia contempt being connected different teams arsenic Thomas led retired nan Manx fable to a last shape triumph successful Rome.

There's a lawsuit to beryllium made that London 2012 stunted Geraint Thomas' development.

He put his roadworthy motorcycle to 1 side, sacrificing different three-week travel astir France, committing purely to nan track.

When his squad pursuit foursome shattered nan world grounds connected nan measurement to golden nan determination seemed afloat justified.

By this constituent successful his career, Thomas had won 2 Olympic golden medals, 3 World Championships, nan British Road Race title and was mostly seen by his peers arsenic 1 of nan champion domestiques successful nan sport.

However, nan mobility remained - did he person it successful him to triumph connected nan roadworthy successful Europe?

The cycling heartlands of Belgium and Italy would hardly person noticed Geraint Thomas winning Commonwealth gold, yet it remains 1 of Welsh sports' astir melodramatic and iconic moments.

Thomas was cruising to triumph connected nan sodden, hilly streets of Glasgow erstwhile a puncture forced him disconnected his motorcycle and a federation held its breath.

The repair occupation was swift, nan panic only temporary, and Thomas had nan uncommon pleasance of singing Hen Wlad fy Nhadau connected a damp Scottish podium.

Much for illustration tennis, nan very champion competitors successful cycling tin do it connected much than 1 surface.

It's 1 point to deterioration yellowish successful Paris, it's different to triumph connected nan sadistic cobbled roads of Belgium.

Only 2 modern time cyclists person won a Tour de France and Spring Classic - nan arena that is Tadej Pogacar and Geraint Thomas.

The title successful mobility was E3 Harelbeke, wherever Thomas rode distant from nan likes of Peter Sagan to triumph successful highly awesome fashion.

A week later he would find himself heavy marked astatine 1 of nan biggest races, nan prestigious Tour of Flanders. The cycling world was now afloat alert of nan Welshman's talent.

Thomas himself was astatine a crossroads successful his career, and he would soon move his attraction to shape racing.

By 2017 Thomas had decided to spell each successful connected Grand Tours.

The 2016 Paris Nice title had been added to his increasing postulation of week-long shape races and yet he arrived astatine nan pursuing year's Tour de France nether nan radar and comparatively unfancied.

He flew retired of nan blocks winning his first Tour shape connected nan opening clip proceedings and was sitting beautiful successful 2nd erstwhile he was forced to wantonness aft a clang connected shape nine.

Accidents and mishaps were ever conscionable astir nan area erstwhile it came to Thomas' career. On nan 2016 Tour he flew into a telegraph rod aft being pushed disconnected nan road.

A twelvemonth later he was forced to wantonness nan Giro d'Italia aft he was knocked down by a motorbike.

And possibly astir frustrating of each was a stray h2o vessel that caused him to clang and ended his 2020 Giro, erstwhile he appeared to beryllium successful nan shape of his life.

Vive Le Tour!

For 1 glorious summertime nan Welsh federation became cycling fans.

It's easy to hide that Thomas began nan 2018 Tour de France arsenic a Plan B to four-time victor Chris Froome.

However, a operation of nan one-day racing skills he'd honed connected nan cobbles of Belgium and remarkably beardown legs, led to questions astir Team Sky activity going into nan large alpine stages.

Thomas answered them by winning shape 11 to Serre Chevalier and past nan pursuing time possibly his astir stunning triumph of all, astatine nan acme of nan iconic Alpe d'Huez.

He remains to this time nan only rider to triumph successful yellowish astatine nan apical of nan Alpe - and to do a mic-drop connected nan podium successful Paris!

The 7 years that followed Thomas' circuit occurrence were littered pinch 'what ifs'.

What if nan penultimate shape of nan 2019 Tour de France hadn't been curtailed by bad upwind handing nan yellowish jersey to his teammate Egan Bernal?

What if he'd been selected alternatively than omitted from nan 2020 Ineos Tour de France line-up? What if that h2o vessel hadn't struck his spokes astatine nan Giro successful that aforesaid year?

Then location is nan last 3 podiums of his career.

The 2022 Tour de France and 2024 Giro d'Italia should beryllium rather easy to rationalise, aft each he was beaten by arguably nan top rider of each time, Tadej Pogacar.

However, nan 2023 Giro whitethorn haunt him forever. Thomas had a 26-second lead complete 2nd spot Primoz Roglic going into nan penultimate stage. The Slovenian had nan time-trial thrust of his life gaining 40 seconds to snatch wide triumph and breaking Thomas' heart.

And 1 other title to adhd to those 10 highlights.

Geraint Thomas' last time successful nan saddle was not a title but an occasion.

He was ne'er going to triumph nan last shape of nan Tour of Britain into his hometown of Cardiff.

He knew it, nan Welsh nationalist knew it - and it made nary difference.

As he approached nan last 10km of his profession he slipped down a cogwheel and rode astatine a gait wherever he could return it each in.

Caerphilly Mountain - nan Alpe d'Huez of his formative years.

Maindy Track - wherever he fell successful emotion pinch nan sport.

And nan thousands of supporters who lined nan streets to recognise 1 of Great Britain's champion ever cyclists and 1 of Wales' top ever sports personalities.