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Thomas signs new deal with Team Sky

20th July 2011
Source: Press Association Sport

Geraint Thomas has agreed a new three-year contract with Team Sky, the British team have announced.

The 25-year-old from Cardiff, riding in his third Tour, has been among the race's main protagonists, attracting admiring glances from other teams.

However, Thomas has now committed his future to the squad run by Dave Brailsford, who combines his role as Team Sky principal with his job as British Cycling performance director.

Thomas said: "It's great news to be able to commit my future to Team Sky. The team have shown their potential over the last 18 months and I am delighted to have been a part of that success.  The management have shown real faith in me as a rider and I feel like I'm improving all the time. The future is really exciting for Team Sky and British cycling and I'm thrilled I will be able to continue to play a part in it."

Thomas wore the Tour's best young rider's white jersey for much of the first week, propelled Edvald Boasson Hagen to Team Sky's first Tour stage success, has achieved top-10 positions on numerous stages and embarked on a breakaway on the first Pyrenean stage to Luz-Ardiden which demonstrated his potential in the mountains.

The Welshman had admitted he had held discussions with rival teams.

However, Team Sky were always likely to be front runners to retain the services of Thomas, who aims to retain his Olympic team pursuit gold medal in London next summer.

Brailsford said: "We are delighted that Geraint has re-signed for another three years with Team Sky.  We have been determined from the start to build and develop a team around the very best homegrown talent like Geraint.

"The last two weeks at the Tour de France have underlined again his world-class abilities and we look forward to seeing even more from him over the next three years."