Undoubting Thomas tames traumatic, turbulent Tour
PARIS — Spitting and jeering. Eggs thrown at team cars. Attempts to upset riders while riding up the most grueling climbs.
Geraint Thomas never flinched at whatever fans — or his rivals — threw at him or Team Sky.
The Welshman was the steadiest rider from the start, the strongest in the Alps and the Pyrenees.
On Sunday he concluded his transformation from a support rider into a champion of cycling’s biggest race by claiming his first Tour de France title.
“With the boys, that’s the main thing for the whole three weeks, we stuck together through some tough times, stayed strong,” Thomas said. “Everything just clicked.”
Thomas successfully defended his lead of 1 minute, 51 seconds over second-place Tom Dumoulin in the mostly ceremonial final stage.
Four-time champion Chris Froome, Thomas’ teammate, finished third, 2:24 behind. Froome rode next to Thomas as they crossed the line and applauded together.
Thomas was a support rider during Froome’s four victories but emerged as Sky’s strongest rider in this race when Froome crashed early on and couldn’t keep up in the mountains.
Team Sky — and Thomas — became targets for many fans due to an asthma drug case involving Froome, stemming from last year’s Spanish Vuelta.
Even though Froome was cleared of doping days before the start of the Tour, it didn’t stop some fans from abusing the British team’s riders throughout the race.
“When there is negativity like that, it brings us as a team closer together,” Froome said.
“It feels like it’s us against the rest of the world. You can choose to let it get to you or you can choose to let it motivate you. We let it motivate us.”
Thomas stormed into the lead by winning back-to-back mountain stages in the Alps, including the iconic climb up Alpe d’Huez, then defended his advantage in the Pyrenees.
During the podium ceremony, he draped the flag of Wales over his shoulders, then ended his victory speech with a mic drop.
“All I can say is that I do it the right way,” the 32-year-old Thomas said when asked about concerns of alleged doping within Sky.
“We train super hard and there’s nothing I can say that will prove it. I’ve just got to keep doing what I’m doing. It will stand the test of time.”
An all-around who began his career on the track, Thomas helped Britain to gold medals in team pursuit at the 2008 and 2012 Olympics before turning his full attention to road racing.
“I have my own goals and I kept doing what I’m doing and kept focused on that. Obviously it’s not nice to hear (the jeers) but I do what I do and focus on myself.
“It’s easy to get wrapped up in or get angry or depressed, but I stay in my own world.”
Riding a yellow bicycle to match his yellow jersey, Thomas shared glasses of champagne with his teammates during the casual ride into Paris before buckling down to keep up with the other leaders on the jarring cobblestones of the Champs-Elysees.
“It’s going to take a while to sink in,” he said.
“Normally that stage is really hard, but today I just seemed to float around it. I had goose bumps going around there. The support from the Welsh and British flags, riding around wearing this (yellow jersey) is a dream.”
Norwegian rider Alexander Kristoff with UAE Team Emirates won the last stage.