"It's a whole new world" - Geraint Thomas on dealing with the post-marginal gains cycling world and working with Dave Brailsford
Cycling
Geraint Thomas hung up his wheels at the end of 2025 and immediately transitioned into a management role in the team as Director of Racing. Close to the riders, but now closer to team CEO Dave Brailsford, he sees the sport through a whole new lens.
"The thought of retirement for me was always about spending more time with family. My wife was like, 'I thought you retired, more busy than ever'," Thomas shared in an interview with Velora Cycling.
"But it's good, it's just finding that balance now. Just really enjoying what I'm doing now with the team and everything else." Thomas did not want to step away from the sport, and has ultimately found himself incredibly busy, but in a very important role within the British team.
Thomas is a former Tour de France winner and a rider who has contested for Grand Tours on multiple occasions. He has performed in the classics, as a time trial specialist; and on the track as well.
Aside from that, he has spent 16 seasons with the British team, ultimately making him an ultimate source of experience, both as a leader, domestique and guide within the team. A key figure for over a decade at INEOS, and now the bridge between the management and the athletes.
After retiring from pro cycling, Geraint Thomas has become Netcompany INEOS' Director of Racing
Watts Occuring, and how it came to be
A light-hearted rider, Thomas would often grace journalists with his hearted and honest replies. At a certain point, the vocal Welshman started a podcast with compatriot and former teammate Luke Rowe: Watts Occuring, which is still one of the most listened to podcasts currently in the sport.
"The initial reason was in 2019, Luke mentioned it, I was like: 'Actually, if we do a podcast I don't have to speak to any press then, just say, listen to the pod'." At the time, Thomas was the reigning Tour de France champion, and in the peak of his career.
But after so many years, it has continued to be a staple in the media space. "You kind of forget that it goes out. But it's a good relaxed way of doing it".
"Me and Luke have always been the same anyway. We're just ourselves. We don't want to be too PC or whatever, corporate or whatever word you want to use for it":
Thomas learning the ropes of team management
Thomas has now finished his first full year as INEOS' Director of Racing. In INEOS' races, he was often in the paddock, sharing the team's plans, conclusions and being the face of a team that is occasionally hard to reach when it comes to its riders.
He has also been sharing work with Dave Brailsford, the team's manager during the golden 'Team Sky' era. "I definitely feel a lot closer with Dave. It's funny because if people want to get to Dave sometimes they just try and come through me now instead. It's like, mate, I'm not his PA or anything, just give him a call".
Thomas was a staple at INEOS, and one of the most experienced figures in professional cycling. But from outside the bike, the work is very different. "It's a whole new world," he admits.
"I understand racing, training for a goal and how you go about that as an individual; but then doing that across the team and everything else that comes into it is massive, isn't it? Dealing with the commercial side or medical or whatever it is, and seeing how Dave works and being on all these calls with him and seeing how he thinks".
Thomas was brought up the professional ranks as a youngster under Brailsford's guidance. Now he looks to become equally able to manage a top team.
"It's weird, but he's been my boss for so long, I've been brought up in that system, I'm automatically thinking the same way, but I've still got a hell of a lot more to learn".
"Just being with him daily is a massive learning experience for me. No matter what I do in three years, ten years, whatever it is, I think just learning as much as I can from Dave is a big part of it as well. The opportunity was there and I was like, well, why not? Let's just do it."
No more marginal gains for INEOS
Currently, Netcompany INEOS faces challenging times, with a reduction of the team's performances throughout the season, and several departures which might see the team struggle to regain its momentum once again.
Thomas is close to being the head of affairs to take the team back to the top of the sport, albeit under more difficult conditions. In 2026, it is more difficult to find details in which the team can surpass its rivals once again.
"Marginal gains, everyone knows about it now," he aknowledges. "Back in the day when Sky started, it was like, let's be efficient at planning travel and this, that, and the other. That was a gain. Whereas now, obviously, everyone knows that, along with AI and stuff."
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
claps 0visitors 0
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- As far as points go they need to take a page or ten out of the Astana playbook!Lozza13-11-2026
- Ah, seems he’s been busy elsewhere! 😆Lozza13-11-2026
- Where is he when you need him!? Wake up man! You’re missing an opportunity!Lozza13-11-2026
- A very true statement made by Johan Bruyneel: "We don’t know for sure about Jonas, because he dropped out of the Tour de France, but he would never have come close to Pogacar. Maybe he would have finished second. He won the Giro in dominant fashion and the Vuelta the year before, but Visma wants to win the Tour." That's exactly what I've been saying the last six months. If Pogi races with Jonas, the most he can be is second... UNLESS... Pogi crashes out or makes a BIG mistake, which is not likely to happen. Either Bruyneel thinks the way I do or he reads my posts. Ad acta!!!PogiSloFans13-11-2026
- TADEJ POGAČAR !!! "Anatomy of a G.O.A.T." OK, that's great!!! I've been saying all along: Tadej Pogačar-Pogi is the G.O.A.T... period. Not only in cycling... but he's the greatest sportsman that ever lived !!! But let's take a look of what real foolishness looks like: We have many many fools, also on this site, saying that Pogi is "boring,"... he's making cycling "boring"??? I can't believe what's comming out of their deteriorating smelly mouths. So I guess Merckx, Hinault, Indurain, Fasto Coppi and Anquetil were also boring!?!? I guess Michael Jordan, Le Bron, Gretzky, Messi, Ronaldo, Shumacher, Novak Džoković, Federer, Rossi, Marquez, Phelps, Michaela Shiffrin, Venus Williams, Bolt, Lewis Hamilton... etc. were all boring. PS: Many cycling "fans" that think that way, have to get a brain scan. Ad acta!!!PogiSloFans13-11-2026
- Ayuso has had enough time. He's always going to be a mediocre to good cyclist... nothing special or astonishing. But he does have many excuses, just like Remco, but Remco delivers good wins on occasions, Ayuso doesn't. Ad acta!!!PogiSloFans13-11-2026
- I agree, Johan Bruyneel made big mistakes, he was involved in the biggest doping scandal in the history of sports... BUT NEVERTHELESS... Bruyneels analysis on bike racing and cyclists is among the best. That's a fact... period!!! I love listening to Spencer Martin and Johan on WEDU-THE MOVE PODCAST, but I don't care about Armstrong and Hincapie. They are both american bull shi***s who like to exaggerate and talk nonsense.PogiSloFans13-11-2026
- the headline is poorly written too. it makes it sound like their plan is to simply wait until he stops.mij13-11-2026
- It doesnt take a genius to understand that Pogi is 1 level above and Pogi is younger that Jonas, so Jonas will not win under ordinary circumstances. Pogi has to crack hard for Jonas to win. It doesn't matter whether you defend Jonas or not , facts remain facts. Jonas himself says his numbers are better than 2022/2023, so Jonas is more or less optimized and we are just see the stochastic variation due to other factors. I think he will retire along with Pedersen in WC denmarkabstractengineer13-11-2026
- They only raced each other during the 2026 Tour, but here's a few metrics to look at. Stage 3 (Granollers to Les Angles): Pogačar won the stage, finishing 2 seconds ahead of Vingegaard (2nd). Del Toro finished 24 seconds behind Stage 6 (Pau to Gavarnie-Gedre / Col du Tourmalet): Pogačar won solo, Vingegaard finished 2nd (losing 2:38), and Del Toro finished 3rd (at +2:57, finishing 19 seconds behind Vingegaard). Here, Jonas Vingegaard outclimbed Isaac del Toro by 19 seconds on the mountain stageawp13-11-2026
Loading
Write a comment