'It's a young man's sport' - Geraint Thomas completes final Tour

Geraint Thomas brought the curtain down on his Tour de France career in the rain of Montmartre on Sunday evening, and he joked afterwards that the experience had persuaded him that the time was ripe to retire.

The Welshman will race the Deutschland Tour next month before his final race on home roads at the Tour of Britain in September, but his last Tour marked the end of an era. Thomas made his debut in the race in 2007, won the race overall in 2018 and placed on the podium again in 2019 and 2022.

This time out, the Ineos rider had to settle for 58th overall in Paris, with his best showing coming in the break on the road to Mûr-de-Bretagne on stage 7, but he was cheered heartily by the masses as he rode up Montmartre on the last lap of the new finishing circuit.

“I think the final stage summed up my Tour, to be honest,” Thomas told TNT Sports. “It was in pieces, there was a lot going on today with the rain and everything, and it kind of reflected my mood. 

“I’m super happy it’s done. I’m happy with my decision to retire as well because the race and the physical aspect is one thing, but I feel like everything else has changed in the sport. It’s not just that people are training better and are more dialled, it just feels more chaotic in the peloton.

“It’s like a game of chicken, and no one wants to move. Maybe it’s more of a young man’s sport these days, and I’m too old. It’s a good time to stop.”

Due to the rainy conditions, the GC clock stopped with 50km remaining, before the race tackled the three laps of the new circuit over Montmartre. Tour winner Tadej Pogacar and stage winner Wout van Aert quickly disappeared from view, and Thomas settled into riding around in the third group on the road.

“The final lap was amazing once it had settled down,” Thomas said. “The course was horrible, but the crowd was unbelievable. That last time up the climb, I was riding with Toms Skujins from Lidl-Trek, and he let me go in front. The crowd was insane - I think he was geeing them up – but it was special, a nice way to end. Even though the circuit is horrendous, it was actually a really nice way to finish, to be in a group riding up there in one line rather than in a peloton.

“It was horrific today – the worst last stage I’ve ever done, but at the same time, that last lap was the best last lap I’ve ever done. So you’ve got to take positives and negatives, like anything in life.”

The 39-year-old is expected to remain with Ineos in 2026 as part of the team’s management structure, though his precise role has yet to be clarified.