"I never for a second thought I would win the Tour" - Geraint Thomas reflectes on two decades of racing Grande Boucle

Geraint Thomas can look back at a great career, which will be forever highlighted by his Tour de France victory in 2018. After nearly two decades of professional career, the 39-year-old Brit has ridden down the Champs-Élysées for one final time last Sunday and had some time to reflect on what the Tour meant for him, his career and life.

"Honestly, watching it on TV when I was a kid, it felt like something that happened in a different universe," the Welshman writes on his X. "I dreamt of racing it, of winning it, but I never for a second thought I would."

One though on his mind:"Kids from Cardiff don't ride the Tour."

But Thomas continued to pursue his dream and as a 21-year-old made his debut at Tour, racing for Barloworld. "And then, in 2007, there I was on the start line. Now I've raced 14 of the flipping things." Little did he know that some decade later, he would leave a lasting mark on the history of Grande Boucle.

"Winning it in 2018 changed my life and I’ll never be able to quite believe I did that. But honestly, just riding the Tour is the biggest pleasure of all. Experiencing the race, the country, the people, the fans, it's something I'll never ever forget or take for granted."

Besides having won the 2018 race overall, Geraint was also a part of the iconic Sky train and assisted his teammates Chris Froome and Egan Bernal to win further five editions in 2010s.

"A huge thank you to my teammates who've been there with me along the way, every single staff member who's been on the journey, and to you all for following along. It feels very weird to think I'll never race another Tour but I'm so proud to have done it 14 times."

The INEOS Grenadiers rider managed something he didn't believe was possible and showed the next generation of kids from his hometown that anyone can become a cyclist and ride Tour:"And, it turns out, kids from Cardiff do ride the Tour."