At junior level, Geraint Thomas showed his vast potential and was recognised with the BBC Wales Sports Personality of the Year award in the 2015 Carwyn James Junior category. It wouldn't take him long to make his impact at senior level as he joined his first professional cycling team in 2006.
Thomas gained travelling support from the Welsh public during his Tour de France debut in 2007 when he was the youngest rider in the race and the first Welsh rider since Colin Lewis in 1967. He finished the race in 140th out of 141 competitors and was nominated for the BBC Wales Sports Personality of the Year award once more.
Winning the first of two gold medals at the Olympic 2008 Games, helping Team GB to success in the Team Pursuit, breaking the world record twice and Geraint was appointed an OBE in the New Years Honours list in 2009.
He moved to Team Sky in the 2010 season, where he would play a major part in the team's glory over the coming years, helping Bradley Wiggins to seal victory at the Giro d'Italia and Mark Cavendish to UCI Road World Championship glory. Despite crashing in the opening stage of the Tour de France in 2013, Geraint went on to help Froome to emerge victorious. He would repeat the feat in 2016, supporting Chris Froome to his third overall Tour de France win.
Geraint played a key role as Team GB once again set a new world record time at the London 2012 Olympic Games to retain their gold medal in the Team Pursuit, finishing three seconds ahead of rivals, Australia. Soon-after Geraint would be promoted by Team Sky to lead the team on a more regular basis. He became the first British rider to win the Tour of the Alps in 2017, and after leading the Tour de France at stage 5 he crashed out of the race.
The 2018 Tour de France was to be the crowning moment of a spectacular career that had largely seen him place team success above his own. He was appointed joint leader for Team Sky alongside Chris Froome, and when Froome crashed, after some deliberation within the team, Geraint assumed leadership. He would hold onto the yellow jersey in Paris, where he became the first Welsh cyclist and the third ever British cyclist to win the tour. He was appointed OBE in the 2019 honours for services to cycling and won the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award in 2018. Following Geraint’s recent third place in the 2022 Tour de France, Geraint becomes just the ninth person in the sport’s history to finish on all three steps of the race’s podium.
Alongside his incredible sporting career, Geraint has also published three books, filmed a BBC documentary and now hosts two podcasts, Watts Occurring and The Geraint Thomas Cycling Club, each with their own Zwift ride teams. Also in 2021, he founded The Geraint Thomas Trust whose aim is to help young children get into cycling. Passionate to use his sporting presence to benefit others, Geraint completed a charity fundraiser during lockdown to raise over £375,000 across 36 hours to celebrate the work of the front-line workers.
A passionate personality whose sheer desire and will to win is an inspiration for people all around the world. His stories of success and striving for success at the top level of cycling are fascinating to all in attendance at corporate and sporting events.
