INTERVIEW | Geraint Thomas waves goodbye at the Tour of Britain – “I was emotional crossing the line”

Geraint Thomas brought the curtain down on his professional cycling career at the 2025 Tour of Britain, finishing his final race on stage 5. The 2018 Tour de France champion, one of Britain’s most decorated riders, was visibly emotional as he reflected on the end of a journey that began decades earlier on the streets of Cardiff. The home support created an atmosphere fitting for his farewell, with fans lining the roads in their thousands. For Thomas, the moment was both overwhelming and deeply meaningful.

“Well, I was emotional crossing the line. I was riding through the first grove, and all the fans were just like, almost like choking up riding my bike, which was weird. And then I had to cross the line on the Swifty; I've been racing since I was 12. So yeah, it all came out then, and then speaking to S4C, I was just like, I couldn't even speak, you know, but definitely emotional, super special though, that's what I've been saying since it was announced, the route really, he said to cyclinguptodate.

“To finish here, just unbelievable really, and the fans and everything, it's what I've had over the years, it's incredible. To finish here, it's like full circle, and you know, ride past Maindy without a cake to go, where it all started, no better way.”

The crowds turned out in force to salute him, and Thomas admitted he was struck by the sheer scale of support. “Yeah, it's unreal, the atmosphere riding in, and you know, I've been coming out in all week, well, a lot of the years I've been racing, but especially today and yesterday, it was just insane, and you know, just riding through here, the amount of people, and you know, just going nuts, it was, as I say, it's just mad that people care that much, it's what I do really, so it's meant so much.”

Even the notoriously unpredictable Welsh weather couldn’t dampen the day. Thomas, true to his roots, shrugged it off with a smile. “We were lucky to be fair, it kind of stopped, I don't think it rained too much during the race, and it was just wet roads, and it was just, well yeah, it's got to be at least wet or something.”

After nearly 2 decades as a professional, Thomas now turns his attention away from the demands of racing. Asked about his plans for the night and the days ahead, he gave a glimpse into a more relaxed future. “I'll go to the castle next, and join the party, have a good night with the boys, and then I'll just switch off for a bit and go back, go and take this lad to school on Tuesday (his son), and yeah, back to normality, and my brother's stag do in Portugal as well actually, but yeah, just be a bit, switch off for a bit really, do stuff that I don't really ever get to do.”