Thomas Eyes Ineos Management Role After Final Race

Geraint Thomas says he has held discussions complete staying connected astatine Team Ineos arsenic he prepares to extremity his racing career.

It would spot nan 2018 Tour de France victor moving intimately pinch Sir Dave Brailsford to replicate their past Grand Tour successes.

The 39-year-old Welsh rider will transverse his last decorativeness statement connected Sunday, 7 September erstwhile nan Tour of Britain concludes successful his location metropolis of Cardiff.

Thomas joined Team Sky, arsenic it was past known, successful 2010 and complete nan adjacent decade helped nan British outfit triumph 7 Tours de France arsenic good arsenic occurrence astatine nan Vuelta a Espana and nan Giro d'Italia. However, they person not won 1 of cycling's awesome tours for 4 years.

Brailsford has precocious scaled backmost engagement pinch Manchester United, which for illustration Team Ineos is owned by Sir Jim Ratcliffe.

"Obviously Dave Brailsford is benignant of backmost successful nan fold now pinch nan team," said Thomas.

"He stepped distant for a while, but now he's backmost and he's cardinal to nan occurrence of nan squad from nan start.

"The reasoning is conscionable to beryllium capable to activity intimately pinch him and study disconnected him from that broadside of things arsenic well."

Thomas - who besides won 2 Olympic golden medals connected nan track, arsenic good different 2 top-three finishes successful nan Tour and 1 successful nan Giro - is being lined up to subordinate Team Ineos' apical guidance structure, alternatively than taking connected a much hands connected domiciled pinch riders arsenic a sporting director.

"I've evidently sewage a batch of knowledge erstwhile it comes to nan existent beingness capacity and nan training mentation and each that, but past nan different side, nan guidance benignant of side, yeah, effort and study arsenic overmuch arsenic I tin successful that area," he said.

"Nothing's definite yet, but that's nan thought anyway, truthful hopefully we tin fig that retired soon."

The Cardiff-born rider intends to harvester a part-time domiciled wrong master cycling alongside grassroots developement.

"I consciousness for illustration it ticks some boxes then," Thomas told BBC Radio Wales' Breakfast programme.

"It gives maine that attraction and that thrust and that competitiveness which, ok, it'll beryllium successful a different area of nan squad now, but I deliberation will still excite maine and get maine benignant of motivated to to thief nan boys out."

But Thomas, who has been based successful Monaco during his racing career, will beryllium moving backmost to Cardiff and is besides looking guardant to returning to nan Maindy velodrome wherever he first learned to race.

"And past you sewage nan existent grassroots worldly arsenic good of conscionable trying to get kids progressive and conscionable getting them enjoying riding their bikes," he added.

"If I didn't unrecorded truthful adjacent to Maindy aliases if I didn't unrecorded successful Cardiff I whitethorn ne'er person ridden a bike, I whitethorn ne'er person had nan profession I had and nan life I've had and nan enjoyment and everything and each nan travelling and each nan awesome group I've met.

"It sounds a spot corny, but speading that joyousness really and conscionable getting everyone retired connected nan bike."

Before that Thomas will propulsion connected nan lycra and clip into his pedals for 1 last race.

The six-day Lloyds Tour of Britain starts successful Suffolk connected Tuesday, 2 September and finishes pinch 2 stages successful Wales.

Sunday's Newport to Cardiff finale is nan cleanable mounting to extremity nan adjacent two-decade profession of Wales' astir successful cyclist.

"I'm really looking guardant to it," said Thomas.

"Obviously it's going to beryllium a operation of emotions, it's each I've done for 19 years truthful travel Monday greeting aft nan decorativeness successful Cardiff it'll beryllium unusual waking up pinch nary goals aliases targets racing wise, that's going to beryllium strange."

Ten shape title wins, 3 World Championship victories, Olympic triumphs, a Commonwealth golden badge and galore different successes later, he will yet propulsion disconnected a title number for nan last time.

"I conscionable consciousness truthful fortunate to beryllium capable to telephone clip connected my profession connected my ain terms, you cognize erstwhile I'm finishing and moreover much fortunate to determine wherever arsenic well," he added.

"The truth that nan Tour of Britain is successful September astatine nan extremity of play and nan past shape is into Cardiff is conscionable unreal really.

"I deliberation they're readying immoderate arena afterward successful Cardiff Castle arsenic good truthful it's going to beryllium bully conscionable to opportunity acknowledgment to nan fans arsenic well."

It will not beryllium nan first clip nan Welsh capital's historical mounting has paid tribute to nan man who successful 2018 won some BBC Wales and nan nationalist BBC Sports Personality of nan Year award.

That twelvemonth thousands lined nan streets to invited location their yellow-clad Tour-winning hero.

"That's astir apt nan item of everything I've done disconnected nan motorcycle really, that homecoming successful Cardiff," said Thomas.

"Because I unrecorded away, since I've been a pro, extracurricular of nan UK you don't really get an appreciation of nan support you get. Obviously I cognize it's a monolithic magnitude and I get a monolithic magnitude connected nan roadworthy but past to spell backmost to Cardiff and to person that was conscionable insane."

Similar scenes are expected adjacent week and erstwhile nan fuss has died down and earlier he takes up his caller roles, Thomas is already readying much clip pinch woman Sara and boy Macs.

A first ever ski-ing vacation - retired of nan mobility during his racing profession - has been booked.

Before each of that location are conscionable 886 much kilometres (553 miles) to race, six much days of sweat and possibly 1 aliases 2 much tears.

"I deliberation so," Thomas admitted.

"I was ever winding up Sara - because she's rather emotional, much affectional than maine - and I was winding her up astir crying astatine our wedding, and I was nan 1 that cried nan full time!

"Obviously successful nan Tour de France [win successful 2018] was a akin thing. I ne'er thought astir nan end, it was ever astir each time and past abruptly it sewage to nan clip proceedings and I'd won it and past it deed me.

"That's erstwhile I ended up crying evidently connected world telly, truthful I deliberation Sunday could beryllium similar."