"I’ve got the experience to lead the team" - Geraint Thomas looks forward to his new managment role

The active career of Geraint Thomas will come to an end this year, but we should not expect the Welshman to completely disappear from the radar from 2026 onwards. It's a public secret that he'll transition into an undisclosed managment role with INEOS Grenadiers where he'll pass down his experience to future generations.

"I’ve got the experience to lead the team, which I kind of do anyway," Thomas told Velo referring to his road captain position, "but I still want to be successful. You don’t want to go to the Tour and just ride around. But you can find success in all sorts of areas: helping the leader in the final, going for a stage win yourself."

Almost two decades in professional peloton, it's been a ride for the 2018 Tour de France winner. "I didn’t think I’d continue as long as I have, but everything since then has been a bonus really. For me, winning the Tour was definitely the pinnacle, and obviously Brad (Wiggins) did it, and (Chris Froome) 'Froomey,' but I was an academy product of British Cycling."

Over the years, the trends in peloton have changed massively, even if certain things have stayed the same: "Bike riders have always been skinny," he pointed out. Throughout his career, it was a known fact that weight was often a struggle for the former track rider who used to do well in cobbled classics.

"It’s more the whole package. Everyone is just stronger. Everyone is training better. Losing those few kilos makes a big difference these days," he said. "They always have done, but even more so, now the whole peloton is getting better. Before it was just a couple of people in every team going to altitude or whatever, but now it’s whole teams that are on it."

"I think I’ve got a lot to offer on performance and going after bike races," Thomas said without revealing what his future role might be. "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."

Wasn't the 39-year-old tempted to delay the retirement plans when he learnt that the 2027 Tour would go through Wales? "I found out a few months ago. Obviously it would be amazing, but two years is a long time in cycling and I’m more than happy to stop this year. I wouldn’t want to do it just to do it. It’s not just being there. I don’t want to ride around just to finish."