The former Tour de France winner signed a two-year deal with INEOS Grenadiers which is set to end this season. Surprisingly, he bounced back to his best form last summer, winning the Tour de Suisse and riding to third place at the Tour de France behind Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard. This showed his capacity to still ride with the very best, and may have switched his thoughts towards retirement.
“The enjoyment is the main thing and you’re only really competitive when you enjoy it. If I can keep making the sacrifices, why not? I would like to decide, say, by March. If it is my last season, I want to enjoy it and make the most of it. I also want to plan for the future," he explains.
The Welshman is a pro rider ever since 2007 and has seen several generations fade. He seemed to be on the same path but last year turned the tide in his favour. He is having his final contract year, but is undecided on what he will do at the end of the year. “It depends if I re-sign. My contract is up this year. If I do the Tour this year depends on how the Giro goes. It’s all up in the air to be honest," he says. Thomas will lead INEOS at the Giro d'Italia this May.
"The team is keen for me to continue and would like me to. I wouldn’t really go anywhere else. It depends on how they see my role, the salary and what’s expected of me. As long as all those boxes are wicked for me and the team, I don’t see why it won’t happen."
Currently he's at the Tour Down Under, where he is expected to play a supportive role for some of the team's developing talents. Magnus Sheffield, Ethan Hayter and Luke Plapp are all contenders for the overall classification. However Thomas thinks bigger at this time in his career.
“You’re lucky to retire on your own terms as a sports person. That’d be great. Two more years does seem quite long. I need to sit down with my family and talk about it all. I certainly won’t be racing in 2026. Physically everyone can race on. It’s if you lose the love for it or the pull of your family. It that’s greater, you stop. It’s an individual thing," he concluded.
