CYCLE HERO MAY BE MADE A SIR
TOUR de France winner Geraint Thomas is expected to crown a glorious year with a knighthood in the New Year’s Honours list.
This would be a remarkable end to an incredible 12 months for the 32-year-old Team Sky cyclist.
Thomas was the first Welshman, and only the third Briton, to win the Tour, the sport’s most prestigious prize.
Our source said: “Geraint has achieved what no Welshman has achieved before and a knighthood is the right way to honour him.”
Although the honour would be a slap in the face for fellow Brit Chris Froome – who remains unknighted despite winning the Tour a remarkable four times. Last Sunday Thomas won the BBC’S Sports Personality of the Year.
Speaking afterwards Thomas, who lives in Monaco with his wife of three years Sara Elen, said he felt fortunate to be part of Britain’s golden age of cycling.
Thomas, known as ‘G’, was born and raised in Birchgrove, Cardiff and started cycling at ten.
He won the first of his seven UCI Track World Cup medals in 2006. In 2008 and 2011 he won pursuit team Olympic gold.
In 2016 his Olympics ended in heartbreak when he crashed during the road race in Rio, Brazil, with just over six miles to go.
Thousands of fans turned out in Cardiff to give Thomas a hero’s welcome in July after his victorious return from the tour.