Eighteen years after making his Tour de France debut, Geraint Thomas is preparing to ride the race one final time. At 39, the Welshman lines up in Florence not as a GC leader but as road captain for Carlos Rodríguez, mentoring the next generation while keeping one eye on a stage win to cap off his career.
In his 13 previous Tours, Thomas has worn yellow, stepped onto three podiums, taken three stage wins and been a vital part of six GC victories – supporting Chris Froome and Egan Bernal in their prime. This July will be his 14th and final appearance at the race that’s defined his career.
“Back then I had no idea what to expect,” he said, recalling his 2007 debut, when Rodríguez was just six years old. “It was just this whole new world. Whereas now, 14th Tour, you do kind of know what to expect. It doesn’t make it any easier, but you’ve got a lot of experience, a lot of hard yards.”
His role this time will be to shepherd Rodríguez through the chaos of the Tour, while hoping to seize one last opportunity of his own. “I’d love to just be competitive and go for a stage, I think a stage win would be amazing,” he said. “But you’ve still got to be in super great condition for that. Being alongside Carlos deep into the mountains and helping him as much as I can, really off the bike as much as on it.”
Thomas joked about the crash that forced him out of the Tour de Suisse, where he twisted his calf and hamstring. “It was horrific, mate. I’ve just done incredible to get to this point. Think I’m an absolute legend,” he laughed, before reassuring everyone the injury was minor. “In all seriousness, it wasn’t that bad. It was more a precautionary thing with the team. I got some good training in behind the motorbike with my coach, Adrian. No issues now and all good from my side.”
With his Ineos Grenadiers future reportedly heading toward a management role, Thomas hasn’t spent much time thinking about retirement. “It’s been an unbelievable career, but it’s something that I still don’t really think about. It’s always been about what’s coming. I’ll reflect on it once I’m actually done.”
He’s already begun playing the mentor role, and Rodríguez – who finished fifth in 2022 – will benefit from that guidance as he takes aim at the podium. Filippo Ganna, also present at the team press conference, is targeting the stage 5 time trial and other breakaway chances.
Team boss Dave Brailsford, stepping back into a more hands-on role, oversaw final selection amid several late setbacks. Ben Swift had been due to join the squad but was forced out through illness, missing out on the chance to share Thomas’ final Tour ride.
“I’ll worry about the afterlife, as Ed Clancy calls it, afterwards,” Thomas said. For now, it’s one more lap of France.
