Geraint Thomas might be done with the Tour de France
Welshman says that 2023 may well see him head to the Giro d'Italia in what could be his last year


The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
Thank you for signing up to The Pick. You will receive a verification email shortly.
There was a problem. Please refresh the page and try again.
Geraint Thomas has hinted that he might not ride the Tour de France next year in what could be his final season as a professional cyclist.
In an interview with Cyclingnews and VeloNews, published on Wednesday, the Ineos Grenadier rider said he wanted to "make the most of" his 2023 season, and that he could ride the Giro d'Italia instead.
This year he finished third at the Tour, the third time he has finished on the podium at the Grand Tour, after winning it in 2018 and finishing second in 2019. He also won the Tour de Suisse, and proved his worth to his Ineos team despite there being a plethora of general classification riders in the squad.
"We have to sit down and work out what I want to do, it could be my last year as well. I want to make the most of it,” Thomas said.
“I don’t even know if I will do the Tour to be honest, maybe the Giro. It’s all up in the air, really. I wouldn’t mind doing something different.
"This year’s been quite refreshing, doing a few new races like Coppi e Bartali, Liege-Bastogne-Liege, Flèche Wallonne and Itzulia Basque Country. They’re all races I’ve never done or only done once."
"Last year was pretty horrific, so it was nice to enjoy the racing and get some results too. I am proud of my ride at the Tour de France, that was good and to win Suisse as well, that was really nice, I’d been close before. It’s been a really good year."
The Welshman's contract runs until the end of the 2023 season with Ineos; he is the only rider to have been on the team since Team Sky's inception in 2010. In a team and a sport that has increasingly come to be dominated by younger riders, Thomas is full of valuable experience.
The 36-year-old said that he feels he has "nothing else to prove" going into next year, having proved to his doubters that he still has it, despite being 11 years older than Tour winner Jonas Vingegaard.
"When I won the Tour, it was nice to come back the next year to show it was not a fluke. And it was nice to come back this year as well, when people thought I was done. Now I feel like I have nothing else to prove," he explained.
"It’s always extra motivation to show that you’ve still got it. The main thing was to keep enjoying the racing and doing my own thing. You can see that progression as well, as in most years. It was nice to be in the thick of it."
As for next year, Thomas said that he wanted to be at the forefront of the action from the beginning of the year. In 2022 it took until June and the Tour de Suisse for the Welshman to be at the front of action, after an inauspicious first few months.
"In 2023 I want to start the year going a bit better than I was this year. I want to be at the front of the race and in the mix of the racing, not necessarily winning, but being right up there, you enjoy it more," he said.
"I want to start at Tour Down Under. That would be a nice place to start the season."
Over the off-season, Thomas will decide if he races on beyond 2023, by which time he will be 37; his long-term teammate Chris Froome is still racing at 37, but is far from his best. Thomas, conversely, is still one of the top riders in the sport, but the form cannot continue forever.
"I’ll sit down with my wife and decide what I want to do," he said.
"She’s keen for me to carry on. We’ve got our son settled in a school in France and we’re happy. It’s more about how I feel. I still enjoy the racing and the training, the main thing is the time away from home.
"It would be nice to do something new, but I’m not also wishing it to go away quicker."
Thank you for reading 20 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access
Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription
Join now for unlimited access
Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!

Adam is Cycling Weekly’s senior news and feature writer – his greatest love is road racing but as long as he is cycling on tarmac, he's happy. Before joining Cycling Weekly he spent two years writing for Procycling, where he interviewed riders and wrote about racing, speaking to people as varied as Demi Vollering to Philippe Gilbert. Before cycling took over his professional life, he covered ecclesiastical matters at the world’s largest Anglican newspaper and politics at Business Insider. Don't ask how that is related to cycling.
-
-
Back from bankruptcy, Mavic opens new facility in Vermont, teases new product
In addition to re-establishing sales in North America, the historic brand will release new wheels in the coming months
By Anne-Marije Rook Published
-
Neilson Powless on Saving Road Racing in America, Polka Dots and Parenthood
American Neilson Powless talks us through his 2023 Tour de France, preparing for parenthood and his goals for next season and beyond
By Tyler Boucher Published
-
'They race like juniors': How men's pro cycling is getting wilder and races refuse to slow down
Racing from the gun during a three week Grand Tour is a big ask for even the best and the strongest. Is this the new cycling?
By Adam Becket Published
-
Ineos Grenadiers: 'We hope Geraint Thomas does the Tour de France another couple of times'
The Welshman and his team have opened the door to his Tour return
By Chris Marshall-Bell Published
-
Remco Evenepoel hopes to 'steal' Jonas Vingegaard's secrets at Vuelta a España as he looks to 2024 Tour de France
Belgian aiming for second Vuelta a España triumph over the next three weeks, but faces stiff opposition
By Tom Davidson Published
-
'I’ve got the rest of my life to chill and drink cocktails' - Geraint Thomas going all-in at the Vuelta a España
Ineos Grenadiers leader ready for Spanish Grand Tour, three months after finishing second at Giro d'Italia
By Adam Becket Published
-
'I thought I was more in the door than I was' - Luke Rowe bares all on Vuelta a España snub
Welshman will not race a Grand Tour this year after he missed out on selection by Ineos Grenadiers
By Tom Davidson Published
-
Geraint Thomas to lead Ineos Grenadiers at 2023 Vuelta a España
Welshman joins Vuelta debutants Filippo Ganna and and Kim Heiduk in British team's line-up
By Tom Davidson Published
-
WorldTour teams have an extra three years to halve carbon emissions before losing license - UCI clarifies
A carbon emissions tracker has been introduced and it is mandatory for all stakeholders to use it
By Chris Marshall-Bell Published
-
‘I hope I get a cow’ - Josh Tarling aiming for the top prize at World Championships
Welshman competing in elite men’s individual time trial on Friday afternoon
By Tom Thewlis Published