After 39 years and 16 years with Team INEOS Grenadiers (formerly Team Sky and Sky Procycling), Geraint Thomas is retiring. But right from the start. In his first year as a professional, Thomas was called up directly to the British national track cycling team and immediately won gold in the team pursuit. Just four months later, the then 21-year-old was in the Tour de France squad. The young Brit was able to repeat his success at the World Championships in 2008 and 2012, even adding the Olympic gold medal in the same discipline to his titles in both years.
Tour winner all of a sudden
In the midst of his track cycling success, Geraint Thomas switched to the aforementioned Sky Procycling team for the 2010 season, which he was never to leave. After several years in support roles, he achieved his first stage win at the Tour de France in 2017 in the opening time trial in Düsseldorf. Just one year later, Thomas unexpectedly found himself in the role of race leader and defended the jersey with two more stage wins all the way to Paris. All of a sudden, the Brit was at the top of the podium.
The following year, Thomas, who always pedalled evenly, finished the tour in second place behind his team-mate Egan Bernal. Focusing on the Tour of Italy, Thomas lost the lead just one day before Rome in 2023 in a dramatic mountain time trial and finished second in the Giro. The triumph at the 2018 Tour of France outshines many of his strong performances to this day.
Leon Weidner
Working student
