Le Tour to Strictly? Retiring Thomas ponders future

Life as a cyclist is relentless, so after nearly 20 years of looking forward, eyes fixed on the road ahead, Geraint Thomas has not had much time to reflect on the past.

Things are different now, though. This season will be Thomas’ last of a sparkling career that has seen him win two Olympic gold medals, three World Championship titles, numerous road races and the sport’s greatest prize of all, the Tour de France.

A sport this gruelling does not allow its competitors the indulgence of turning an entire season into a glorified lap of honour but, as the end comes into view, Thomas is more contemplative than usual.

“Since I was a kid I dreamt of riding the Tour and being part of the Olympics and winning was obviously a dream as well, but to achieve that was just nuts,” he tells BBC Breakfast.

“I think now the decision is official, you do start to reflect because when you’re in it, it’s just one thing after the next, year after year, so you don’t really appreciate it. I guess at the time you enjoy it but I don’t think you sit back and reflect and think, so there will be a bit of that this year.”

This has been something of a long goodbye for Thomas, who indicated he would retire at the end of this year when he signed his most recent Ineos Grenadiers contract in 2023.

Far from winding down, however, the Welshman has been reinvigorated in the twilight of his career, with last year’s third place at the Giro d’Italia securing a Grand Tour podium finish for a third successive season.

This summer, the 38-year-old will concentrate on the Tour de France, where he will play a supporting role for the team and “maybe try to win a stage but just enjoy the race” that he won in 2018.

“Beijing was massive, my first Olympics and winning gold there,” says Thomas. “But the Tour’s what changed my life, being recognised all over the place.

“I was in Alcatraz and some dude recognised me. I think that’s when you know it went up a level.

“The yellow jersey is iconic. You go anywhere in the world and people will know the yellow jersey, how it signifies cycling and its history. So to be a part of that history and to win it, I just pinch myself.”

Considering how competitive Thomas remains at the highest level, you would be forgiven for wondering why he is retiring.

“This is my 19th year as a professional and I didn’t want to do one year too many and be the grumpy guy in the team,” he explains.

“I’m still really enjoying it, I still feel competitive and the last year has been good, but I think the timing’s right. With my family, I’m looking forward to moving back to Cardiff.

“There’s stuff I think I’ll miss, the racing, being here in Monaco, but it will be nice just to be around more and to take on a new challenge.”

Thomas has not yet decided what that new challenge will be, but he will have plenty of choice.

There is a chance he could stay with Ineos Grenadiers in a new capacity, while there will be no shortage of offers to work in the media.

“Having options is always good,” Thomas says. “I need a purpose. Since I was about 17 or 18, I’ve always been working towards a goal.

“To not be working towards anything would be nice for maybe a month, then I’ll just go crazy, so I’ll definitely have to have some goals.

“I want to do an Ironman. I only run two or three times a year, so that’s something that needs a bit of work! It’s about challenging myself in different ways.”

A future as a triathlete can wait. Once he retires, what Thomas is most looking forward to is spending more time with family and friends, particularly his wife Sara and five-year-old son Macs.

“That’s the main thing, just being around more and not missing events – birthdays, weddings, parties or whatever,” he adds. “I’m looking forward to that side of things.”

Retirement is also bound to bring with it myriad offers to appear on reality TV programmes, although Thomas has been warned off Strictly Come Dancing.

“I reckon the fitness would be the only thing I’ve got. I wouldn’t back myself. Although my parents-in-law tell me ‘please don’t do it, you’ll make a fool of yourself’ and that makes me want to do it,” he laughs.

“That would be the biggest challenge of my life for sure. Maybe I’ve got the hips for it.”

Having completed the 2013 Tour de France despite breaking his pelvis during the opening stage of the three-week race, Thomas has proved that he is ready to test that particular area of his anatomy.

In fact, there are few parts of Thomas’ body that have not been bloodied or bruised at some point over the course of his career, and his physical fortitude has earned him the respect of his peers as well as cycling followers around the world.

Once he has navigated his final Tour de France and one last summer on the road, Thomas plans to bring the curtain down on his career at the Tour of Britain in September.

The route has not yet been finalised but the closing stage could be held in Cardiff, the city where Thomas was born and bred and where he will return to live after retiring.

“It would be epic if that happens. I haven’t really thought about it much, but when I do start thinking about it, it’s going to be emotional. Maybe I’ll shed a tear or two,” Thomas says.

“It would be some way to finish, whether it’s Cardiff or wherever, the Tour of Britain as the final race. It’s full circle, isn’t it? Finishing my career back home.”