cycling
Now he has just finished the second biggest road race around,
the Giro d’Italia - Tour of Italy - with an outstanding 12th in the
final stage Time Trial.
Nicole Cooke, Wales’ other cycling megastar, can hardly
walk down the road without someone asking for her
autograph but Thomas can just chill out on the rare
occasions he is home in Cardiff with his friends
after stints in either Italy, with his continental side
Barloworld, or British Cycling’s headquarters in
Manchester.
“I speak to quite a few mates back in Cardiff and they
are always keen to see how I’m doing. It keeps your feet
on the ground too,” he said.
“It helps to be with my mates and going out for a meal
or the movies just to chill out and not think about racing
all the time. A lot of my friends have gone to university
but, even if I am in Manchester, I have a mate who is in
Liverpool so it’s only a few miles over there to see him.”
Thomas says he wants to have a few weeks off after
Beijing, grab a few beers back home and just chill out.
But he admitted his track career would go on the
backburner even with the London Olympics in 2012 - he will
only be 26 by then - looming.
He is full of challenges and said riding both the Tour and
Giro in the same season was a burning ambition.
Thomas said: “I definitely want to ride on the road more
and I definitely want to do the Tour de France and the Giro
again.
“Getting a medal at the Olympics would be awesome but
there is definitely more I want to do, especially on the road.”
lympians - Geraint Thomas
But first things first. “I’ve always wanted to ride in the
o
Olympics. I was a kid and dreamt of being a part of it,” he
admitted.
“I never thought I would be in this position now and I cannot wait
to go there and drink in the experience.”
Welsh
Richard Meade would surely be the first to clap when - not
SW
if - Thomas achieves that success.
7
sportingwales
issue3twothousand&eight
SW_Issue3.indd 7 30/7/08 11:10:45
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