Team Sky cyclist Geraint Thomas is off to an impressive start in the 2010 Tour de France
The Team Sky member is in second place overall and holding the Young Riders Classification after finishing fifth in the Prologue and second in the third stage. Thomas finished ahead of team leader Bradley Wiggins in Saturday's prologue and in the third stage, where he was out-sprinted by Thor Hushovd after a difficult day on the cobblestones.
Bradley Wiggins finished eighth, 53 seconds behind Hushovd but ahead of favourites Contador and Armstrong, moving himself to 14th overall and Team Sky to third in the team classification. "It's brilliant," said Wiggins when Thomas set the second fastest pursuit time in history. "For me, it confirms the potential he has always had.”
Thomas joined the Tour de France-centric Team Sky at its inception at the end of 2009 and began 2010 on the time trial winning team for Sky at the Tour of Qatar. After the classics, he finished in the top ten of the four opening stages of the Dauphiné Libéré, leading in the green jersey competition for three stages and finishing fifth in the green jersey competition and 21st in general classification.
“The goal is to get Brad on the podium in Paris and my job is to be his bodyguard,” said Thomas.
He went on to win the 2010 British National Road Race Championship, beating teammate Peter Kennaugh and his good form has stuck with him into the Tour de France so far. "The white jersey's a nice bonus, and I'm going to enjoy that tomorrow, but I'm here for Brad," said Thomas. "We have had a few spills, but confidence and morale in the team has been good, so hopefully we can keep that going."
In 2007, Thomas was the youngest contender in the Tour de France. He declined to compete in the 2008 Tour in favour of returning to Britain after the Giro d'Italia to concentrate on the 2008 Summer Olympics. When teammate Moises Duenas was disqualified from that year’s Tour for confirmed doping, Thomas expressed his anti-doping stance on his blog.
"If someone is fraudulent in a business, wouldn’t they be facing a prison term? I don’t see how riders taking drugs to win races and lying to their teams is any different. Bang them up and throw away the key!" Thomas began his cycling career after seeing an advert for a cycling club in South Wales. He had a great start breaking the newcomers lap record and he began traveling across the U.K. with the club.
"I started cycling with the Maindy Flyers when I was ten and then moved on to Cardiff JIF back in my home town of Cardiff," said Thomas. "Jan Ullrich was a big hero of mine when won the first Tour de France I watched on TV. I have always looked up to him. I like the track and the road, they’re both just as good when you are winning! Obviously the road is just a little bit more prestigious. But when you get to the end of one season you start to look forward to the other."
After winning National titles at 14 and 16, Geraint decided to take cycling seriously. He joined the Olympic Academy Programme in 2005, signed on with Team Barloworld and took home two Gold medals at consecutive World Championships in 2007 and 2008.
After winning the Gold at the 2008 Beijing, Thomas has shifted his focus back to road cycling: “…riding for the biggest teams and in the biggest races … winning as much as possible.”
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