The only Welshman who won the Tour de France plans to retire in September. Will his departure affect the growth of cycling in Wales?
Alan Davis bends down to gently pat a young rider’s helmet before straightening up, his gaze drifting toward the 460-meter velodrome. This track has shaped generations of cyclists chasing their professional racing dreams. Among them is Geraint Thomas.
Thomas’s journey began at the Maindy Centre Cycling Club, just a stone’s throw from the velodrome, where he first got on a bike as a child. Alan Davis, a longtime coach and club chairman, still remembers those early days.
“After winning his first Olympic gold in 2008, Geraint returned to the club just a month later to speak with the kids,” Davis says. “Among them were young riders like Eleanor Barker and Owain Doull, who later won gold medals in the 2016 Rio Olympics. His inspiration was immediate and tangible.”
Yet, Thomas has confirmed the 2025 season will be his final one, after nearly two decades at the pinnacle of his sport.
While the final race route hasn’t been confirmed, there’s a strong possibility that his last race will occur in Cardiff, where he was born. This would mean his cycling journey begins and ends in the same city.
“It would be epic if that happens. I haven’t really thought about it much, but when I do start thinking about it, it’s going to be emotional. Maybe I’ll shed a tear or two,” Thomas says.
Thomas says he wants to step away while still enjoying the sport, rather than stay too long and become frustrated with his performance.
His career has been shaped by many setbacks as much as triumphs, including fractured bones and crashes in races, but each experience has helped him grow and become the cyclist he is today.
“Geraint Thomas is an exceptionally resilient athlete. He has faced numerous setbacks but has always pushed through,” Davis says. “For example, in the 2013 Tour de France, he broke his hip in the first or second stage but still completed the entire race. His level of resilience is rare, and no training program can truly teach that kind of perseverance.”
George Kimber is a cyclist who has raced across Europe in events like the Tour of Ireland and the Tour of Rhodes in Greece. The idea of a peloton without Thomas is difficult for competitive cyclists to imagine.
“For so many of us, Geraint has been a constant presence in the sport,” says Kimber. “Hopefully, his retirement won’t mean fewer people on their bikes, but it’s hard to ignore the impact Geraint has had on cycling.”
Cycling boasts a rich history in Wales, evolving from a pastime and mode of transport in the late 19th and early 20th centuries into the highly demanding competitive sport today. Yet, the evolution of getting more commercialised has brought many challenges.
“It’s a very white, middle-class sport. You’ve got to have a certain income to afford it,” Davis says. “The costs of bikes, equipment, and travel to competitions can be overwhelming for young riders from lower-income backgrounds.”
A bike shop shows that an entry-level racing bike costs between £600 and £1,200. High-performance racing bikes can be significantly more expensive, reaching up to £16,350.
More than the cost of the bike itself, cycling also requires ongoing maintenance and extensive competition travel, putting this sport out of reach for many families.
Keeping the riders in the velodrome is also a big challenge for Davis. Although Cardiff Council’s initial plan to relocate the historic Maindy track to Cardiff Bay has been scrapped, they still expect to expand one high school onto land at Maindy Park.
Many campaigners have spent years fighting the proposal, but the future of the Maindy Velodrome still remains uncertain.
“This place is unique, it’s produced Olympic champions. If we lose it, we lose a part of Welsh cycling history,” Davis says.
Kimber believes accessibility is another big concern for people who want to get involved in this sport. According to Broadcast networks, the Tour de France will be behind a paywall instead of free-to-air television from 2026.
The Tour de France will only be available to pay-TV and streaming platforms for UK audiences at that time.
Davis believes that Thomas’s legacy in Welsh cycling is significant even as challenges mount. He watches these kids riding around the velodrome.
“You never know, the next Tour de France winner could be out there right now,” he says with a smile.