Geraint Thomas: I'm having a decent night
Welshman Geraint Thomas finishes Tour de France before racing to Commonwealth Games
Geraint Thomas has to fly to Glasgow on Monday for the Commonwealth Games but wasn’t thinking much past an ice cold beer at the conclusion of the 101st Tour de France in Paris on Sunday evening.
Thomas was the only British rider to finish the race in which his Sky team did not make an impression on the results board after winning the last two editions. The scenes around the Sky bus on Sunday were certainly more demure than last year, but the race was no less gruelling with Sky suffering losses via injury and illness.
Thomas managed a fractured pelvis when he supported Chris Froome all the way to Paris last season, this year was less memorable. “To be honest last year I can’t remember a lot of it,” Thomas said. “I was at the back and I wasn’t really in the race. This year I’ve been in the racing but we haven’t got the results.
“I’m not too sure what I’d prefer - to have another three weeks where I break my pelvis and win the Tour, or stay in one piece and win nothing. Maybe someone else can take one for the team.”
Emotions were different at the finish compared to that of previous years but Thomas was pleased with his personal performance throughout the Grand Tour.
“Obviously there’s a different feeling now compared to last year. Last year we won the thing and we were defending the jersey for two weeks. It’s definitely different emotions now but that’s the way it goes as well,” Thomas said.
“The last two years Brad [Wiggins] and Froomey won everything they wanted to. I think we’ve been really fortunate. This year it’s kind of been the total opposite and nothing has really gone right with crashes and illnesses. But I think that’s sport and that’s what makes it so exciting is the fact you can’t predict what’s going to happen.”
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
Thomas is due to start the men’s time trial at the Commonwealth Games this week. However, reaching Paris is still an achievement for any rider and he’ll be marking that on Sunday night.
“Personally I still feel like I’ve achieved quite a bit this Tour. I’m definitely going to have a decent night,” he said. “It’s not just these three weeks. It’s the whole build-up to it since November thinking about the Tour. It’s a lot of stress and talking and what not.”
Twitter: @SophieSmith86
Geraint Thomas: Sky's next Grand Tour leader?
Geraint Thomas is supporting Richie Porte at the Tour de France, but hoping for a chance to lead a team
Simon Yates and Geraint Thomas on the attack at the Tour de France
The two remaining British riders in the 2014 Tour de France, Geraint Thomas and Simon Yates, in stage 14's escape
Thank you for reading 20 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access
Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription
Join now for unlimited access
Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
Sophie Smith is an Australian journalist, broadcaster and author of Pain & Privilege: Inside Le Tour. She follows the WorldTour circuit, working for British, Australian and US press, and has covered 10 Tours de France.
-
'I'd love to be an F1 driver': Get to know GB track sprinter Emma Finucane
World sprint champion tells Cycling Weekly about her earliest Olympics memories, drinking coffee in Jakarta, and her passion for F1
By Tom Davidson Published
-
'I felt like I was the worst rider in the bunch' - Simon Carr dispels doubt with longest ever solo win at Tour of the Alps
Brit triumphs from lone 45km breakaway, after days of battling allergies
By Tom Davidson Published
-
'It was one of the hardest days of my life' - Rain and cold lay waste to Tour of the Alps
Juanpe López takes stage three victory, while Geraint Thomas finishes three minutes down in inclement Austrian weather
By Tom Davidson Published
-
'It was time to change': No regrets for Rod Ellingworth after leaving Ineos Grenadiers
New Tour of Britain race director says he is still on good terms with Dave Brailsford after resigning from team last year
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
'I’m just here to enjoy it': Tom Pidcock on his surprise Paris-Roubaix appearance
British rider was a late addition to the Ineos Grenadiers team for the race across the pavé
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
The art of peaking with Geraint Thomas: 'It’s easy to take for granted that 9 times out of 10 I hit my goals'
The Welshman also calls for better governance in the sport to help it grow further
By Chris Marshall-Bell Published
-
Ineos Grenadiers’ 500th victory was claimed by a woman; why do they still not have a team?
The British squad is one of the richest in cycling - but Ineos still won’t stump up for a women’s team
By Adam Becket Published
-
'This is so much more than a number': Six of the best Ineos Grenadiers wins as team claims 500th race victory
Pauline Ferrand-Prévot took the 500th team win at the weekend
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
Tom Pidcock 'wouldn’t be surprised' to see attacks before the Poggio at Milan-San Remo
British rider will lead the line for Ineos Grenadiers alongside Filippo Ganna
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
Ineos Grenadiers delighted with Egan Bernal’s late cameo on stage one of Paris-Nice
Colombian snapped up key bonus seconds in the general classification battle on run in to Les Mureaux
By Tom Thewlis Published