'It could be my last year as well. I want to make the most of it' says Ineos Grenadiers rider
Geraint Thomas (Ineos Grenadiers) and Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) during stage 16 of the 2022 Tour de France(Image credit: THOMAS SAMSON AFP via Getty Images)
He proved he was still competitive in cycling’s biggest race despite two years of nasty crashes and doubts about his competitiveness as a younger generation swept into the sport.
Thomas’ contract with Ineos Grenadiers ends in 2023. The British team have signed a swathe of young riders and are building for the future, but as the only rider to remain with the squad since it began in 2010, Thomas is in many ways the team's elder statesman.
After his third place overall at the 2022 Tour de France, Thomas could arguably demand a protected leadership role for the 2023 race but appears to have slightly different personal and professional ambitions for what could be his farewell season.
"We have to sit down and work out what I want to do, it could be my last year as well. I want to make the most of it,” Thomas told Cyclingnews and Velonews recently.
“I don’t even know if I will do the Tour to be honest, maybe the Giro. It’s all up in the air, really. I wouldn’t mind doing something different.
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"This year’s been quite refreshing, doing a few new races like Coppi & Bartali, Liege-Bastogne-Liege, Flèche Wallonne and Itzulia Basque Country. They’re all races I’ve never done or only done once."
Thomas crashed out of the 2020 Giro d’Italia and also fell hard early in the 2021 Tour de France, suffering until Paris in the hope of holding his form for the Tokyo Olympics. But he failed to finish the road race and was only 12th in the time trial.
He was back to his best in 2022, though, winning the Tour de Suisse on the way to his Tour de France podium.
"Last year was pretty horrific, so it was nice to enjoy the racing and get some results too. I am proud of my ride at the Tour de France, that was good and to win Suisse as well, that was really nice, I’d been close before. It’s been a really good year."
Thomas also quietly enjoyed proving his critics wrong, both inside Ineos Grenadiers and elsewhere.
"When I won the Tour, it was nice to come back the next year to show it was not a fluke. And it was nice to come back this year as well, when people thought I was done. Now I feel like I have nothing else to prove," Thomas explained.
"It’s always extra motivation to show that you’ve still got it. The main thing was to keep enjoying the racing and doing my own thing. You can see that progression as well, as in most years. It was nice to be in the thick of it."
Enjoying the racing in what could be a farewell season
Geraint Thomas won the Tour de France in 2018 (Image credit: Getty Images)
Thomas has realised that enjoying the training process and racing is vital for his morale and for his success. He appeared in control of his fitness and progression in races right from the start of 2022.
He ended his 2022 season at the recent CRO Race in Croatia, stretching his season into early October so that he went into the winter with some fitness and racing in his legs.
If he does decide to end his distinguished career in 2023, he wants to enjoy his final season.
"In 2023 I want to start the year going a bit better than I was this year. I want to be at the front of the race and in the mix of the racing, not necessarily winning, but being right up there, you enjoy it more," he explained
"I want to start at Tour Down Under. That would be a nice place to start the season."
In the next few weeks, Thomas will decide if he races on beyond 2023.
"I’ll sit down with my wife and decide what I want to do," he revealed.
"She’s keen for me to carry on. We’ve got our son settled in a school in France and we’re happy. It’s more about how I feel. I still enjoy the racing and the training, the main thing is the time away from home.
"It would be nice to do something new, but I’m not also wishing it to go away quicker."
Stephen is one of the most experienced members of the Cyclingnews team, having reported on professional cycling since 1994. Before becoming Editor-at-large, he was Head of News at Cyclingnews. He has previously worked for Shift Active Media, Reuters and Cycling Weekly. He is a member of the Board of the Association Internationale des Journalistes du Cyclisme (AIJC).
