Prologue winner Geraint Thomas (Sky) dons the leader's jersey at the Tour de Romandie.(Image credit: AFP)
Great Britain won team pursuit gold and set another world record(Image credit: Tour of Japan)
Great Britain won team pursuit gold(Image credit: Tour of Japan)
Mark Renshaw (Rabobank) follows Geraint Thomas (Sky).(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Geraint Thomas (Sky) en route to victory in the Tour de Romandie prologue.(Image credit: Sirotti)
Dwars Door Vlaanderen: Nick Nuyens (Saxo Bank-Sungard) follows Geraint Thomas (Sky) in the finale.(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
It may have been a little more than a week since the men’s Great Britain squad claimed the gold medal in the team pursuit but for Geraint Thomas, he’s yet to truly appreciate what he and his teammates have achieved. Thomas put aside his ambitions to return to the Tour de France this year so he could concentrate solely on the track. It’s a decision he does not regret.
"When I was a kid, I dreamt of winning the Olympics one day. Now I am a double gold medallist and it just feels crazy. Even saying it out loud does not seem right," Thomas wrote on the BBC Sport website.
"My experiences in London have definitely made it worthwhile sacrificing a year on the road with Team Sky to come here, and it confirmed what I already knew - the Olympics are huge and it is amazing to be part of something I grew up watching on TV," he said.
Thomas and his teammates missed both the Opening and Closing Ceremony's at the Beijing Games but this time around, despite leaving London for a few days to return to his home town of Cardfiff, Thomas will be in the Olympic city when the Games comes to an end on Sunday night.
"I think it's important to do that. The London Games for me are not just about going out there, competing and going for gold. It is important to soak up the whole occasion as well, because it is a once in a lifetime moment to compete in your home Olympics. I got goosebumps when I went into the athlete's village," Thomas said.
There will be a few more road races for Thomas before he is able to take a break in October and while his success on the track is a dream come true, he will focus on the road for the next few seasons. Thomas has already signaled his intent to ride at the Rio Olympics however, the exact nature of his participation is yet to be decided.
"My focus is going to be on the road for the next couple of years, but I 100% want to be in Rio for the 2016 Olympics.
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"If everything goes the way I want it to, I will hopefully ride the road race then but I will have to play it by ear and see what happens on the track because it might depend on which events disappear and which come back."
