Geraint Thomas is likely to switch from the role of veteran GC leader and Ineos Grenadiers 'team captain' to a new strategically important role in the British team's management structure when he retires at the end of 2025.
The Welsh rider will turn 39 on May 25 and is currently training at altitude in preparation for his final Tour de France. He is set to retire after the Tour of Britain in September, which is expected to finish in his home town of Cardiff.
Ineos Grenadiers have told Cyclingnews they are keen to keep Thomas within the team structure and use his experience and understanding to help them return to super team status and again compete for victory in the Tour de France.
Escape Collective has also reported on Thomas' possible new role at Ineos.
Ineos are planning for the long term with reports of significant new sponsorship from the French energy and petroleum company TotalEnergies.
Olympic champion Remco Evenepoel has been linked to a move from Soudal-QuickStep to Ineos, with Specialized likely to become their bike sponsor as part of a major change at the team. Though Jurgen Foré, CEO of Soudal-QuickStep, downplayed any chance of this move materialising on Thursday, pointing out how Evenepoel's contract runs until the end of 2026.
Thomas is already the official Ineos 'team captain' and leads a rider representative group that speaks to team CEO John Allert and Performance Director Scott Drawer.
They have management and sports science experience but lack the years of racing and rider experience. Thomas' new role could help fill that gap.
"We'd be crazy not to think about Geraint being part of the team in the future," Drawer told Cyclingnews at the Giro d'Italia.
"Geraint's got unique skills that we don't have. We'd like to tap into what Geraint knows. He's got huge respect and credibility in the sport.
"He's the current team captain and plays a big role in that. In our cultural rebuild during the winter, we created a team captain and a rider representative group for better feedback and ideas on tactics.
"We're a British team at heart, and Geraint has so much experience we want to draw on. From my point of view, having him in the team is a critical part of our future."
Thomas has never been afraid to publicly criticise Ineos and is admired for his desire to make clear, informed and rapid decisions, a trait he seemingly learnt from former team manager Dave Brailsford.
Last July, he described the decision-making process inside the team as "challenging."
Thomas seems keen to help Ineos when he ends his racing career, but nothing has been confirmed or finalised.
"I love cycling and the team, so would love to stay involved in some capacity," he recently told the Guardian.
"I think I’ve got a lot to offer on performance and going after bike races. There’d be a lot to learn as well, which is also exciting. It all depends on the role I’d end up doing, but that’s the type of challenge I’d be looking for."
He turned professional with Barloworld and made his Tour de France debut in 2007 when the race started in London. He joined Team Sky when it was created in 2010 and has stayed loyal to the British team.
He was part of many Tour de France-winning teams and won the Tour himself in 2018. He was second the year after behind teammate Egan Bernal and was second and third at the Giro d’Italia in 2023 and 2024.
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