British cycling legend and Tour de France winner Geraint Thomas has revealed he is planning on completing an Ironman triathlon after confirming his retirement from the pro peloton will come at the end of this season.
A double Olympic Gold medallist in team pursuit, Thomas won cycling’s biggest prize when he triumphed in the Tour de France in 2018, becoming the first Welshman to do so.
Now, after achieving everything there is to win in cycling, he’s turning his attention to swim, bike and run as he plots his retirement and future challenges.
Run will ‘need work’
Like many retired elite athletes, Thomas is itching to continue pushing himself even when he leaves his day job behind.
Whilst the cycling section may be a breeze, he is under no illusions that the swim and run parts of an Ironman may take him some time to master.
“I want to do an Ironman,” Thomas told the BBC.
“I only run two or three times a year, so that’s something that needs a bit of work! It’s about challenging myself in different ways.
“Having options is always good. I need a purpose. Since I was about 17 or 18, I’ve always been working towards a goal.
“To not be working towards anything would be nice for maybe a month, then I’ll just go crazy, so I’ll definitely have to have some goals.”
Thomas will be able to get plenty of advice from his INEOS teammate Cam Wurf who has combined his cycling career with that of a pro triathlete and notched another top 10 at the IRONMAN World Championship in Kona last year.
And he won’t be the first retired athlete to cross sports and get into triathlon after he hangs up his saddle.
Former Germany international and football World Cup winner André Schürrle for example recently confirmed he will be competing at Challenge Roth this year.
A Cardiff send off?
Whilst Thomas might be planning his dream Ironman schedule for the future, he’s still got his eyes on the prize as he enters the final year of his career with cycling team INEOS Grenadiers.
“I think now the decision is official, you do start to reflect because when you’re in it, it’s just one thing after the next, year after year, so you don’t really appreciate it,” he said.
“I guess at the time you enjoy it but I don’t think you sit back and reflect and think, so there will be a bit of that this year.
“This is my 19th year as a professional and I didn’t want to do one year too many and be the grumpy guy in the team.
“I’m still really enjoying it, I still feel competitive and the last year has been good, but I think the timing’s right. With my family, I’m looking forward to moving back to Cardiff.”
Thomas is still cycling at an elite level, having finished on the podium at the Giro d’Italia last year, and he’ll be part of the INEOS team taking on the Tour de France this year in a supportive role.
His final race is set to be the Tour of Britain in September, which may potentially finish up in his hometown of Cardiff.
“It would be epic if that happens. I haven’t really thought about it much, but when I do start thinking about it, it’s going to be emotional. Maybe I’ll shed a tear or two,” Thomas admitted in that extended BBC interview.
“It would be some way to finish, whether it’s Cardiff or wherever, the Tour of Britain as the final race. It’s full circle, isn’t it? Finishing my career back home.”
With that in mind, maybe a Cardiff triathlon as a warm up before an Ironman is on the cards?
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