Geraint Thomas has expressed his enthusiasm after the recent announcement that Scotland will host the Grand Départ for the first time in cycling history while both men's and women's Tours de France are set to start in the UK in 2027.
The Welshman has embarked on his final racing season before he is set to retire at the end of 2025 but fondly recalled competing at the Tour de France's starts in London in 2007 and again in Yorkshire in 2014.
The 2018 Tour de France champion said he hopes the UK start in 2027 will get more youth interested in the sport of cycling.
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"It’s super exciting and special to have the Grand Départ of the Tour de France 2027 in the UK," Thomas said in a press release issued through his team Ineos Granadiers on Sunday.
"I was lucky enough to be part of two British Grand Départs already, one in London and one up in Yorkshire. There is a stage in Wales and that’s great too. I hope it will inspire the next generation of kids and for a lot of people to get out and enjoy the Tour."
Starting in the Scottish capital of Edinburgh, the men’s race will feature stages in Scotland, England and Wales, though exact details are not expected to be unveiled in the autumn. The women’s race will also start in the UK, but the host city for that Grand Départ is not yet known and will be among the details revealed later in the year.
Nearing the end of a storied and successful 19-year career, Thomas is currently on a whirlwind final season where he has already competed at the Tour Down Under Volta ao Algarve and was a last-minute addition to the team's roster for Milan-San Remo this weekend.
After only a day's recovery, he is now set to line up with Ineos Grenadiers at the Volta a Catalunya that starts on Monday. He joins a roster that includes 2019 Tour de France winner Egan Bernal, Laurens De Plus, Axel Laurance, Michael Leonard, Lucas Hamilton and Omar Fraile. Although Thomas has never won the Volta a Catalunya, he finished on the podium in 2021.
"I am looking forward to the Volta a Catalunya and to have some fun with the boys. We are going to try and be in the mix in the sprints with Axel [Laurance], and we have Egan [Bernal] and Laurens de Plus for the climbs," Thomas said.
"I feel a bit tired after San Remo. It took me a while to get to sleep last night, with the caffeine and the adrenaline of racing. I’m happy to be here. I’ve done this race a few times now and just hope we have nice weather."
His participation at the Italian Monument was his first since 2016, and he will undoubtedly aim to compete one last time in the bigger stage races, with his summer program, including one last visit to the Tour de France, still not fully decided.
"Knowing this is my last season just makes everything special and easier to do. On Saturday, under the rain in San Remo, I was thinking it was going to be one of the last times I am going to be cold and wet in the rain during a race," he said after finishing the iconic 289km Monument, much of it under the cold and wet condition.
"I’m just enjoying it because we have a special life as pro athletes and pro cyclists, so I want to enjoy the last few months. Afterwards, things will get a bit more real in the real world."
