THOMAS TRIUMPH
The tears flow as new Welsh star celebrates his stunning triumph
THE three quickest time-triallists at last year’s world championships were directly ahead of him on the road but even then there was no doubting Geraint Thomas.
Last off t he starting ramp but quickest off the mark, the Welshman left nothing to chance over 31km (19 miles) of twisting, undulating and in places damp French tarmac here yesterday.
He might have had more than a two- minute advantage on Tom Dumoulin but driven, you suspect, by sheer terror, by the irrational fear of what the world champion at this discipline might yet be capable of on the penultimate stage of this remarkable race, Thomas, 32, rode like the wind.
The hunted actually became the hunter for a while, Thomas closing the gap on the Dutchman with a blistering first 22km that saw him go through the first two check- points f aster t han al l three of the men who occupied the podium i n Bergen last September.
A flash of yellow, Thomas set a blistering pace; 14 seconds clear at the first timing point and still 13 seconds up with two thirds of the course completed despite misjudging t he entry i nto a particularly tricky corner. For one heart- stopping moment he lost control of a bike suddenly twitching wildly, only to regain his composure and reapply the power through his pedals.
‘At the start it didn’t seem too technical a course but by the end every corner seemed to be 180 degrees,’ he admitted afterwards.
In the end he paid for his early effort, slowing in the closing kilometres and crossing t he finish line 14 seconds down on Dumoulin and 12 adrift of teammate Chris Froome.
Froome did enough to wrestle third place back from the grasp of Primoz Roglic with what was a fine performance from a rider who so clearly suffered on that rise towards the summit of the Aubisque 24 hours earlier.
But Froome will still be toasting his close friend and colleague with a glass of champagne when Team Sky roll into Paris today, Thomas becoming their third rider, and the third Briton, to win the Tour de France in seven astonishing years.
It is a remarkable achievement by Thomas, not least because it was never really the intention of anyone at Sky to propel him to such sporting stardom when their eight riders were presented to a rather hostile crowd in the Vendee three weeks ago. Froome was the principal rider, with the others here to support him in pursuit of a fifth Tour title and a fourth Grand Tour win on the bounce.
Thomas, though, has earned this title. He emerged as the strongest rider, not just in his team but the entire professional peloton.
Sure, the crash Froome endured on t hat opening day handed Thomas an immediate advantage. But Thomas built on that 51second lead with those back-toback victories in the Alps, and those darting sprints to the line that secured more precious seconds, and he deserves to add this victory to the two Olympic gold medals and three world titles he secured on the track.
As he crossed the line here yesterday there was a brief look to the heavens and then a pumping of his right fist, with his wife Sara there to meet him when he climbed off his bike. He had no idea she was here, he revealed afterwards, and it was not long before the tears began to flow, not least when he wept into the shoulder of Sir Dave Brailsford.
‘The last time I cried was when I got married,’ he said, which wasn’t strictly true e if you recall that rat herr unfortunate incident with the French police and their canisters of tear gas.
‘ I can’t believe it,’ added d Thomas. ‘I’m welling up again. n. I don’t know what to say. It is s just overwhelming. I didn’t think about it all race and suddenly I won the Tour.
‘I felt really good on the stage, actually. Really strong. I was pushing a bit hard on the corners so Nico Portal [Sky team director] told me to relax and make sure I won the tour. I felt I could beat the guys here, but to do it over three weeks is insane.’
David Millar responded to Thomas’s victory by saying he could not think of ‘a better poster boy’ for cycling and Dumoulin was in no mood to bemoan the fact that he had just lost a second Grand Tour in succession to a second Sky rider.
‘I only have respect for Thomas,’ he said. ‘He has been in the form of his life and he has made no mistakes. He’s been incredible.’
Indeed he has, making t he transition from super-domestique to Super G with a marvellous demonstration of the talent he has long possessed but for so long has been hindered by the need to serve others or by simple misfortune.
In the final days cycling witnessed a most unexpected role reversal, with Froome providing a service for Thomas when for so many years it has been the opposite. Indeed even last night in the media centre Froome sat patiently in the corner while Thomas, resplendent in the maillot jaune, held court.
Inevitably there were questions about the cynicism with which Sky’s dominance has been met; the hostility among the spectators that continued here yesterday.
Thomas was asked if six Sky wins in seven years was a ‘problem’ for the event. ‘I’m quite happy with that,’ he said. ‘It’s not a problem for me. It’s been a great race. There are always going to be haters but we work hard; we strive to be the best we can.’
Understandably, he preferred questions about where he now stood in the pantheon of Welsh sporting ‘legends’. John Charles was mentioned, as was Gareth Edwards. Thomas smiled. ‘ It’s crazy,’ he said.
He looked exhausted, emotional too. ‘ Alpe D’Huez was the one when I was t he most under pressure but getting through it gave me a big boost,’ he said.
But he ducked the question of what happens now at Team Sky. Does he sign a new contract? Does he insist on being team leader ahead of Froome?
‘I don’t know,’ he said. ‘We’ll see but I am not thinking about that right now. I just want to enjoy the moment.’