At the end of the penultimate stage of the 2018 Tour de France, an emotional Geraint Thomas had just sealed his place in history and become the first Welshman, and only the third British rider, to win cycling's most coveted prize. "The last time I cried was when I was getting married," spluttered Thomas, hardly able to convey his emotions in the obligatory post-stage interview.
As Thomas rolled across the finish line on stage 6 of the men's Tour of Britain – four minutes after winner Olav Kooij – in his hometown of Cardiff on Sunday, greeted by his wife Sara, son Macs, family, friends, his Ineos Grenadiers colleagues, and thousands of adoring fans, the Welshman's face cast a similarly emotional expression.
Thomas first rode the Tour of Britain in 2005 whilst a trainee with Team Wiesenhof, and joined the Team Sky setup in 2010. From that point onwards, he became an integral part of the British WorldTour squad's DNA, performing possibly every rider role within the team, minus maybe as an all-out sprinter. His track background and pair of Olympic gold medals in the Track Pursuit at the Beijing and London Olympics should be recognised in their own right, but he soon switched his attention to the road, where he progressed from leadout man and mountains domestique to a genuine challenger within the general classification at the Tour de France.
Then came the 2018 Tour, where an Alpe d'Huez stage win that's etched into the psyche of all British cycling fans tightened his grip on the maillot jaune, and something that he didn't let go of either, as he rode into Paris resplendent in yellow. "Vive Le Tour," Thomas announced, before emphatically dropping the microphone onto the podium.
While Bradley Wiggins may have been the first British rider to win Le Tour, and Chris Froome was strong enough to claim the yellow jersey four times, Thomas' rise through the ranks and all-rounder ability meant that he developed a unique bond with Welsh and British cycling fans that was unlike any other. No stranger to misfortune, he suffered several high-profile crashes at both the Tour de France and Giro d'Italia throughout his career, where, if Lady Luck had been on his side, further Grand Tour success may have followed.
However, Thomas admits that he wouldn’t alter much about his career, with each crash or disappointment only making the victories that bit sweeter.
"Honestly, I don't think there really is much [I'd change]. Even the lows, you learn a lot from that, and you get stronger from it, coming back from injuries, I feel like it makes you more mentally strong and more robust," Thomas told Cyclingnews and other media outlets ahead of his final day on the bike.
"You don't always get what you deserve, ups and downs. It's how you come back from those downs [though] and that's the one thing I'm just as proud of…to come back from the downs is just as important as those wins."
That resilience helped Thomas to bounce back from injuries and ultimately end his career on his own terms, and on his home roads.
He peeled out of the peloton as it tackled Caerphilly Mountain late into the stage to soak up the atmosphere alongside his Ineos teammate Ben Swift, with whom he first rode together aged just 12.
"It got a little bit emotional there, because obviously, I've been a part of his career a long time, we've known each other since we were 12 years old, both with this dream of being pro, and the reception that he's received here has just been a credit to him," Swift told Cyclingnews after the stage.
It might sound straightforward and simple that a rider calls time on their career when they want to, but many aren't afforded the privilege of crossing the finish line for a final time, fully aware that it is their last.
Thomas, who upon his return to the team bus was dowsed in champagne by his colleagues, added: "I feel really lucky. I kind of feel like I've been lucky my whole career, really, with how things have panned out, you know, being able to be in my prime for a home Olympics, deciding to stop this year and and then have this weekend [in Wales]. The fact that the Tour of Britain is in September and I can do it as my last race is, it's all kind of aligned. It's stuff for dreams, really."
"There's massive value [in finishing on his own terms]," added Luke Rowe, Thomas' former Ineos teammate, close friend, and now Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale sports director.
"How many people, myself included, don't retire on your [own] terms, and I think, to have an opportunity to have this big send off, have the big hoo-ha, he really does deserve it."
In the same breath as cherishing the fairytale ending to his career, the Welshman acknowledged that while Monday morning marks a new, unknown era in his life, the timing is right to hang up his wheels.
The 39-year-old's career has spanned across three decades and a remarkable shift in the world of cycling. He might have been a part of the squad that pioneered the marginal gains era and kick-started the strong focus on science and data, but Thomas is happy to see the back of the sport's formulaic-like routine.
Listing off sports and activities he's excited about trying now that the restraints of a professional cyclist don't limit his schedule, Thomas pointed to the fact that he'll be able to go skiing for the first time ever in January, while in previous years he'd be at a training camp or the Tour Down Under.
"It's just having the freedom to do other things, a few different sports, maybe some triathlons, or a bit of padel, that seems to be popular now. A bit of golf or just do stuff that, like skiing, I've had to put off for 20 years."
Cycling will still remain part of the Welshman's life, though, just without the intensity of training and racing, and the need to "be pressing lap and doing efforts.
"I can just enjoy it without the pressure and that thought in the back of your mind, of 'I need to start losing weight now' or I need to do this and that," he added, even with a slight anxiety that he may find himself searching for a new routine in life, such is the void left by a pro cycling career.
"I've never been to prison and I don't know what it's like, but you get used to the way of every day, a certain running order. I'm guessing it could be quite like that," Thomas quipped.
However, the 2018 Tour winner might not be away from pro cycling, and even Ineos Grenadiers, for that long. A backroom staff role at Ineos is all but confirmed, he revealed.
"I'm obviously talking to the team, the job description is pretty much done, and it'd be a bit of a new role.
"That's on the cards. It's not definitely happening at the moment, but I'd love to continue with the team. I feel like I've got a lot to give," Thomas added.
A lot to give in the role of coach, or whatever that may be, after giving his all as a rider for almost two decades.
Rowe summed up his compatriot's impact perfectly to Cyclingnews, stating: "One of the proudest things you can do as a rider or an athlete is join an organisation, and when you leave it, you can look back and say you left it in a better way than how it was when you joined."
As thousands of fans turned out to show their appreciation and raise a beer at the Cardiff Castle afterparty – in the typically Welsh weather – to Thomas, it puts into perspective his impact on not just his trade team, but professional cycling, both at home and worldwide. British cycling soared to success from the early 2000s on the track, to six Tour de France yellow jerseys between 2012 and 2018. Thomas was a constant figure; that's no coincidence. Diolch, G.
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