Thomas appeals for return of stolen Tour de France trophy
THE trophy awarded to cyclist Geraint Thomas after his victory in this year’s Tour de France has been stolen from a public display.
It went missing from the Cycle Show at the NEC in Birmingham and the Welsh road racer has said he hopes whoever stole the trophy has the “good grace” to return it. Thomas added that the prize was of “pretty limited value” to the thief but means a lot both to him and to his colleagues at Team Sky.
Team Sky had been displaying all three grand tour trophies around the UK following Chris Froome’s success at last year’s Vuelta a España and this year’s Giro d’italia, and Thomas’s maiden grand tour success at the Tour in July.
In a statement on their website, the team said they had lent the trophies to Pinarello for the recent Cycle Show.
“Regrettably, during the clear-up operation at the end of the event, Geraint Thomas’s Tour de France trophy was momentarily left unattended and stolen,” read the statement.
“The matter is obviously now subject to a police investigation.
“In the meantime, Team Sky are liaising with all relevant parties to agree on the best course of action to resolve the issue.” Richard Hemington, managing director of Pinarello (UK), said: “We are obviously devastated about this. We accept full responsibility and have personally apologised to Geraint. “Obviously, we all hope that the trophy can be recovered.” Thomas, 32, said: “It is incredibly unfortunate that this has happened. It goes without saying that the trophy is of pretty limited value to whoever took it, but means a lot to me and to the team. “Hopefully, whoever took it will have the good grace to return it,” he added. “A trophy is important, but clearly what matters most are the amazing memories from this incredible summer – and no one can ever take those away.”
‘The trophy is of pretty limited value. Hopefully, whoever took it will have the good grace to return it’