Sky's Tour de France winners happy to be heading to September race
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Geraint Thomas (Team Sky) and Chris Froome on the last stage at the Tour de France(Image credit: Getty Images)
Geraint Thomas (Team Sky) on the final podium at the Tour de France, with Tom Dumoulin (Sunweb) and Chris Froome (Team Sky)(Image credit: Getty Images)
Geraint Thomas (Team Sky) secures the yellow jersey at the Tour de France(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Geraint Thomas (Team Sky) and teammate Chris Froome during the 21st stage at the Tour de France(Image credit: Getty Images)
Geraint Thomas and Chris Froome finish stage 14 at the Tour de France(Image credit: Getty Images)
Geraint Thomas (Team Sky) racing stage 21 at the Tour de France(Image credit: Getty Images)
The Team Sky duo will line up at Pembrey Country Park, Wales, on September 2 for the eight-day stage race, which can now expect to draw even larger crowds than usual.
"When you realise the damage you've done, in just 2 weeks..." he wrote in the message, which featured a GIF of Simon Cowell with his head in his hands.
However, the 32-year-old Welshman is certain that he'll be ready to race on home soil in early September.
"As soon as I'd finished the Tour I knew I wanted to ride the Tour of Britain and race on home roads. It starts in Wales, which will be special, and then I get to go and race across the whole of the UK. I can't wait," Thomas said.
"I want to go to the race in the shape to compete and enjoy it," he added. "We'll have to see how the next few weeks go, but I'm looking forward to it, and I know we will have a strong team there. Wout [Poels] is looking really good at the moment, too."
While Froome was somewhat overshadowed by Thomas' performance at the Tour de France in July, and was unable to add a fifth Tour title to his palmarès, the 33-year-old will no doubt enjoy enthusiastic support from the home crowd when the racing starts in Wales on September 2.
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"It's been a long time since I've raced the Tour of Britain," said Froome, who last rode the event in 2009 with the Barloworld team, finishing 50th overall. "The Vuelta a España has always been such a big goal and sadly coincided with the Tour of Britain, but not doing La Vuelta this year gives me the chance to come back to the UK and race on what looks like a great parcours.
"I'm really looking forward to riding," continued Froome. "I always remember there being a great atmosphere at the Tour of Britain and the race has only got bigger over the years. I'm really looking forward to coming back."
The OVO Energy Tour of Britain starts on September 2 and finishes in London on September 9, and this year features a team time trial on stage 5.
While Froome last rode the race in 2009, which was only his second participation, Thomas has ridden the event on eight occasions, and raced last year for Team Sky, finishing seventh overall.
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