Geraint Thomas' last Tour de France seemed in jeopardy, but Brit still expresses big ambitions: "It was terrible, mate"

This will be Thomas’ fourteenth Tour, after making his debut in 2007. “Back then, I had no idea what to expect, it was just a completely new world. Whereas now, in my fourteenth Tour, you pretty much know what to expect,” said the Welshman.

“That doesn’t make it any easier, but it’s just a lot of experience, a lot of hard miles, and yeah, my place in the team is probably different,” Thomas reflected on his role within the squad. “Back then, I was the young British guy there, but now I hope to help the guys navigate through the Tour. Still, I’m excited and I’m looking forward to this last Grand Tour.”

Thomas will ride the Tour as a domestique for team leader Carlos Rodriguez, but secretly he hopes there will be something in it for himself as well. “I’d just like to be competitive and win a stage. I think a stage win would be amazing, but for that you really need to be in top shape. And of course, supporting Carlos deep into the mountains and helping him as much as possible, both on and off the bike. I think that’s just my role in the team now, and I’ll try to share my wisdom.”

Thomas’ final Tour participation seemed in jeopardy for a moment after a crash in the Tour of Switzerland, but the veteran from Wales recovered in time. “It was terrible, mate… I’ve just worked incredibly hard to get here, so I think I’m an absolute legend,” he joked with a wink. “But seriously: it wasn’t too bad. It was more of a precaution from the team because my foot got stuck behind my back and I twisted my hamstring and calf.”

Given the circumstances, his preparation for the Tour has gone pretty well. “I’ve trained well behind the motorbike with my coach Adrian and did my best. It’s frustrating, because it would’ve been nice to see exactly where I stood compared to the rest, instead of just training. But now there are no problems, and on my end everything is fine.”

Even though it’s his last Tour, Thomas isn’t thinking about saying goodbye yet. “It’s been an incredible career, but it’s something I still don’t really think about. It was always about what’s coming next, and I’ll think about it when I’m really done. It’s been an amazing ride so far, but there’s still a big chapter to come. So: we’re going to get on with it, do everything we can, and reflect on it afterwards.”