Geraint Thomas confirms a contract extension with his Ineos Grenadiers team is close to being completed
/dnl.eurosport.com/sd/img/placeholder/eurosport_logo_1x1.png){kind=logo}
ByEurosport
Published 27/10/2021 at 14:37 GMT
Double Olympic gold medallist Geraint Thomas has confirmed he is on the verge of signing a new contract with Ineos Grenadiers. The 2018 Tour de France champion is aware he is coming to the end of his professional cycling career and is expected to face fierce competition from team-mates such as Egan Bernal and Richard Carapaz to lead Ineos in future Grand Tours.
Geraint Thomas
Image credit: Getty Images
Geraint Thomas says there has been a delay in signing a new contract with Ineos Grenadiers, but that he has come to an agreement with boss Dave Brailsford.
Thomas signed an improved three-year contract with Ineos off the back of winning the Tour de France in 2018. But with his past two seasons disrupted by crashes and injuries, reports say the 35-year-old has been offered a deal on lesser terms.
Nevertheless, Thomas is close to agreeing a new two-year contract with Ineos who he has represented since 2010.
"It's pretty much done but it's still not signed so I don't want to curse it," Thomas told BBC Sport Wales. "It's hard. I've had to separate the emotional and the business side of things.
"I've known Dave [Brailsford, Ineos team boss] since 2003 and that relationship is obviously a good one but he has his bosses and his agenda and there's me and what my family want.
"So it's been tough. It's been the worst one [contract] to redo because there's been a lot going on but I'm happy that it's finally almost done.
Once it's announced, we can move on and I can concentrate on getting fit and riding my bike.
Thomas admits retirement is on his mind and that his next contract could be his last as a professional cyclist.
"In two or three years I'll be done then, which is a weird thought, so I really want to enjoy my last few years of racing," he added.
"And to enjoy it, I need to be at the front racing to win. The closer you get to stopping, the more it [retirement] is in the back of your mind.
"The trust, once I move back here [at home in Wales] full-time and stop racing, will take even more importance.
"With retirement, it's something I'm thinking about so it's not a shock.
"It's a big change, going from 17 or 18 years of having a big goal you're training for to suddenly waking up on a Monday morning and thinking 'What do I do now?'.
"It's something I'm thinking about but racing is still at the forefront of my mind."
Scan me
Related Topics
Share this article
Advertisement
Advertisement