GERAINT THOMAS' OLYMPIC CAREER COMES TO AN END AS THE TWO-TIME GOLD MEDAL-WINNING CYCLIST IS LEFT OUT BY TEAM GB AHEAD OF THE GAMES IN PARIS
- Geraint Thomas has missed out on competing in his fifth-consecutive Olympics
- Welsh cyclist had been hoping to bow out at Olympic level at the games in Paris
Geraint Thomas' Olympic career is over after he missed out on selection for a fifth Games.
The Welshman won gold medals in the team pursuit on the track in Beijing and London, before riding on the roads in Rio and Tokyo.
Thomas had hoped to compete at a fifth and final Olympics in Paris, just days after completing his 13th Tour de France.
But the 38-year-old has been overlooked by Team GB, with Ethan Hayter, Tom Pidcock, Josh Tarling, Stevie Williams and Fred Wright named as the road riders in Monday’s cycling squad announcement.
Thomas has suggested he will retire at the end of next year when his deal with his road team Ineos Grenadiers expires.
He has been in form this year, finishing third at last month’s Giro d’Italia, and will ride at the Tour de France, which he won in 2018, in support of Ineos leaders Carlos Rodriguez and Egan Bernal.
It is the first time he has done the Giro-Tour double, something which appears to have counted against the double Olympic champion when it came to selection for Paris 2024.
After being named in the Ineos team for the Tour, Thomas said: ‘Can’t quite believe I am starting my 13th Tour de France - let’s hope it’s a lucky one.
‘I didn’t know how I would feel after the Giro and getting back to training as I have never done the Giro-Tour double before, but it’s been a solid block and the legs are feeling pretty good.
‘Obviously, it's a slight unknown how the body will respond given I haven’t had a season like this before, but I am feeling pretty fresh mentally and just looking forward to the Tour getting started now.’
British star Pidcock will also compete in the Tour for Ineos but, unlike Thomas, he will then go for Olympic glory in Paris.
Just eight days after the Tour finishes in Nice, the 24-year-old will switch disciplines to defend the mountain bike cross-country title he won at the last Games in Tokyo. Pidcock will then also ride for Team GB in the Olympic road race.
Meanwhile, 25-year-old Hayter will compete on both the track and the road in Paris as he looks to add to the silver medal he won in the madison in Tokyo.
National road champion Wright, European time trial champion Tarling and Williams will all be making their Olympic debuts.
They were among the first wave of cyclists named on Monday to ride for Team GB in Paris.
The announcement of the women’s track endurance squad has been delayed following last week’s news that double Olympic champion Katie Archibald has broken her leg and cannot compete.
Read more 2024-06-24T15:25:58Z