A Welsh cycling fan had a chance encounter with Tour de France winner Geraint Thomas, who was lost in West Wales on a training ride.
Cycling coach and business owner Dylan Morris was driving his van to a swim in Camarthenshire on Friday, October 26 when he saw the Team Sky colours.
Thomas was out on a training ride and had apparently got lost on his way to meet family.
After loading Thomas’ bike into the van, the pair drove across town to get the Welsh Sky rider on his way.
>>> Geraint Thomas reveals tension with Team Sky over Chris Froome during Tour de France
Morris, 45, told Cycling Weekly: “It’s just completely surreal.
“I see the Sky kit coming towards me.
“I said ‘Hey G man I think you’re going the wrong way.’
“He said ‘I think I am.’
“I said ‘let’s get the bike in the van and drop you off at the other side of town and get you going.’
“From what I gather he was on a training ride in West Wales to link up with family there.
“He just wanted to get those miles in.”
Morris is a cycling fan and owns Cycle Specific, a Wattbike studio specialising in personal cycle coaching, nutrition and power testing.
He had been on his way to meet his girlfriend for a swim, when he stumbled on the Welsh cycling hero.
He said his girlfriend wasn’t convinced by his excuse when he said he had picked up Geraint Thomas.
Morris added: “I FaceTimed my mate to prove I was with him. My mate nearly fell off his chair.
“Thomas’ wife phoned and asked where he is. He said ‘I’m in the van with some bloke and we’re lost.’ He was very typical G.
“I had to drive past a good friend’s house who I know has a photo of G he would have wanted signed. I had to drive past and not stop.
“Where I dropped him off there’s a bit of a climb. I wanted to say to him but I thought I better not mention the climb. It’s a bit pathetic compared to what he’s used to.”
Morris posted a picture of the moment on Twitter, and the post has been liked more the 1,000 times.
The Camarthenshire resident said: “It’s been crazy the reaction. As a small business we put a tweet out and maybe get 20 likes.
“He was just how you’re used to seeing him in interviews. He was just a legend.”
Alex is the digital news editor for CyclingWeekly.com. After gaining experience in local newsrooms, national newspapers and in digital journalism, Alex found his calling in cycling, first as a reporter and now as news editor responsible for Cycling Weekly's online news output.
Since pro cycling first captured his heart during the 2010 Tour de France (specifically the Contador-Schleck battle) and joining CW in 2018, Alex has covered three Tours de France, multiple editions of the Tour of Britain, and the World Championships, while both writing and video presenting for Cycling Weekly. He also specialises in fitness writing, often throwing himself into the deep end to help readers improve their own power numbers.
Away from journalism, Alex is a national level time triallist, avid gamer, and can usually be found buried in an eclectic selection of books.
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