In the final stage of the Tour of Britain, the battle for the overall victory will be decided, but for the (British) cycling fans along the roadside, it is primarily the day when Geraint Thomas will say farewell as a professional cyclist. The 39-year-old Brit will retire after nineteen seasons, in his hometown of Cardiff. WielerFlits takes one last look back at the career of G.
Anyone who in 2007 had predicted that Geraint Thomas would one day win the Tour de France would have been considered crazy. Eighteen years ago, the top step on the podium in Paris seemed distant, if not non-existent. Born on May 25, 1986, Thomas was initially known primarily as an outstanding track cyclist, who on the road might develop into a respectable time trialist and – who knows – a classics rider. But a stage racer? A Tour winner? Never.
In the early years of his cycling career, Thomas was very successful on the track. As a member of the British team pursuit squad, he twice became Olympic champion, in 2008 (Beijing) and 2012 (in front of the home crowd in London). But Thomas did not want to spend the rest of his cycling life just riding laps on the velodrome. Excelling on the road became his next big goal.
A very young Geraint Thomas in the Barloworld kit – photo: Cor Vos
Trial by fire with Barloworld
In 2007, rookie pro Thomas made his debut in the Tour de France. At 21 years old, the rookie rode for the now-defunct Team Barloworld. It was a diverse group of riders, a foreign legion of experienced veterans and young talents. The experienced Colombian climbing specialist Felix Cardenas, South African sprinter Robbie Hunter, talented Belarusian Kanstantsin Siutsou, and a certain Juan Mauricio Soler, who would become the climbing revelation in France. These were some of the teammates of Tour debutant Thomas.
Thomas did not distinguish himself in his first Tour de France, but he did reach Paris, which was already a victory for the very young Welshman. Still, the Tour didn’t immediately become his favorite race. Thomas mainly relied on smaller stage races, prologues, and one-day races. His first professional win came in 2010: he became British road champion in Nelson.
Turning point
This proved to be a turning point in Thomas's career, who had by then largely transformed into a road cyclist. In the following seasons, victories came in the Bayern Rundfahrt, the Tour de Romandie (his first WorldTour-level win), and the Tour Down Under. The Brit also increasingly showed himself well in the classics. Thomas grew into a regular presence in finales, but winning a Monument was out of reach. In 2015, he did add the E3 Harelbeke, also known as the mini Tour of Flanders, to his palmarès.
Thomas was also a feared classics rider in his prime years – photo: Cor Vos
It is his first and only classic victory, but there is a reason for this. By that time, Thomas was already undergoing his transformation into a stage racer. Inspired by the Tour wins of Bradley Wiggins and Chris Froome, Thomas put everything aside for that one goal: winning the Tour de France. This process was not without its bumps, but in 2018 he made his dream come true. Geraint Thomas crowned himself that year as winner of the Tour de France, ahead of Tom Dumoulin and Chris Froome. The circle was complete.
Winning the 2018 Tour was also the highlight of his career. Of course, Thomas achieved other successes afterward – he stood on the Tour and Giro d’Italia podium twice more – but the INEOS Grenadiers rider had meanwhile been surpassed by a new generation of stage racers.
And now, after nineteen pro seasons and 25 victories, Geraint Thomas’s career will come to an end on Sunday, September 7, 2025. The peloton will definitively leave him behind after today, but this does not mean he will leave the sport of cycling. He aims to take a role on the staff of INEOS Grenadiers in 2026. "I would like to bring this team back to where it belongs."
Thomas and good friend Luke Rowe celebrate the Tour victory – photo: Cor Vos
Major wins as a rider:
– 1x Tour de France (2018)
– 1x Paris-Nice (2016)
– 1x Critérium du Dauphiné (2018)
– 1x Tour of Switzerland (2022)
– 1x Tour de Romandie (2021)
– 2x Volta ao Algarve (2015 and 2016)
- 1x Tour of the Alps (2017)
– 1x E3 Harelbeke (2015)
– Three stages in the Tour de France
– 2x Olympic champion team pursuit (2008 and 2012)
– 3x World champion team pursuit (2007, 2008 and 2012)
Geraint Thomas| Year | Team |
|---|---|
| 2026 | |
| 2025 | |
| 2024 | |
| 2023 | |
| 2022 |
