Chris Froome claimed his second victory in the Tour de France after crossing the finish line in the ceremonial final stage in Paris, where Wales’ Geraint Thomas finished 15th.
Froome’s Team Sky squad rolled over the line together in Paris, including Geraint Thomas and Luke Rowe who have supported Froome from Utrecht to Paris celebrating a third Tour title for the British squad in four years.
Geraint Thomas told WalesOnline:
“It has been an amazing three weeks and we pulled together. We took all the attacks on and off the bike.
I finished 15th. I was so close to having a really good result which I never thought coming here. But it was always going to catch up with me and I was hoping that was going to tomorrow and not last Friday.
But this has given me a lot of confidence and encouragement for the future. A three week stage race as a leader? Why not? If I was the leader here I would have run the podium close if I was not doing so much early on but that’s easy to say now. But it’s certainly something I would like to look at.”
The third Tour title in four years has extended the golden era for British Cycling, which has also seen success for Welsh Cycling with athletes achieving at Olympic, Commonwealth and World levels.
Welsh Cycling Chief Executive, Anne Adams-King, said:
“It’s superb to see Chris Froome win the Tour de France for a second time, a third yellow jersey for Britain in just four years. It was a well-deserved victory for the whole of Team Sky.
I am very proud to see two Welsh cyclists cross the line in Paris alongside Chris Froome. Geraint and Luke have put in a tremendous amount of hard work and dedication throughout the race, making their own contribution to the yellow jersey. They are a credit to the cycling community here in Wales.
In recent years Wales has seen success on the international stage, and I am sure this will continue for many years to come. Welsh Cycling continues to support the growth in cycling through our clubs, members and volunteers, who all help to make Wales a successful cycling nation. We hope the success of Geraint and Luke will inspire more of Wales to cycle.”
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