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eraint thomas, the winner of 2018 Tour de France has announced his retirement following a career spanning 19 years. He is aiming to finish with a race in Cardiff.
Credit: Shutterstock and Thomas Quack
The Welshman has had a successful career, with Olympic Golds, World Championship Titles and an historic Tour de France win. He says it is time to retire from the sport.
Thomas will still race in the Tour de France, even though he is 38 years old. However, instead of chasing a yellow jersey, Thomas will support his team. He may even go for a win on a particular stage. The INEOS Grenadiers cyclist shared the good news on Instagram.
“We thought it was about time to make it official. This will be my final year on the peloton. It’s been a good run, eh! In my wildest fantasies, I could never have imagined myself as a pro athlete for 19 years. Before then, there’ll be time to reflect. But before that, I’ve still got some big races ahead of me.”
Geraint Thomas: Ironman goals, homecoming and Cardiff
Thomas said he would love to be back in his hometown Cardiff to spend time with his family. He spoke to BBC Breakfast about his desire to do so. Although he loves cycling, Thomas didn’t wish to stay too long in the peloton.
“This is the 19th year I’ve been a professional and I didn’t want to be the guy who was grumpy in the team. I’m still having fun, I feel competitive but the timing seems right.
Thomas has no plans to slow down, even though he is nearing the end of his cycling career. Thomas is already planning to do an Ironman in retirement.
“I want to know what I’m doing. Since I was 17 or 18 years old, I have always worked towards a specific goal. For a month it might be nice not to have any goals, but after that I would go crazy. I want to be an Ironman. I run only two or three days a week, so I will have to get better at it!”
Geraint Thomas to end his career in Cardiff with emotional finale
Before calling it a day, Thomas hopes to end his career in the best way possible – racing on home soil. Although his final race has not yet been confirmed, Thomas hopes to finish things at the Tour of Britain this September, possibly the closing stage of Cardiff.
It would be epic to see that happen. When I think about it, I know I will feel emotional. “Maybe I’ll shed one or two tears.”
It would be the ideal ending for a rider that has competed in the most prestigious events to finish his career before Welsh fans. Whether it’s Cardiff or elsewhere, Thomas has already cemented his place as one of Britain’s greatest cyclists—and the end of his journey is sure to be celebrated across the sport.
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