(Reuters) - Tour de France winner and two-time Olympic gold medallist Geraint Thomas will retire as a racing cyclist at the end of the season, the Briton said in a social media post on Monday.
Thomas, 38, won the Tour de France in 2018, after securing gold for Britain in the team pursuit in the 2008 and 2012 Olympics. He was also part of the British team pursuit trio that won three golds in the Track Cycling World Championships between 2007 and 2012.
"Thought it was time we made it official. Yes, this will be my last year in the peloton," Thomas posted on X.
"It's not been a bad run, eh? Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine being a pro for 19 years."
Thomas made his Tour de France debut in 2007, earning three top-three finishes there, including second overall in 2019 and third overall in 2022.
He narrowly missed out on a Giro d'Italia title in 2023, finishing 14 seconds behind champion Primoz Roglic. Thomas finished third in the tour in 2024.
"An incredible career, with one last chapter to write," his team Ineos Grenadiers posted on social media.
Thomas said he still enjoyed racing, but wanted to stop before his age caught up with him.
"You can't do it forever, I'm getting a few grey hairs. I don't want to do one too many. I don't want to be the guy on the bus who is a bit of a grumpy person," he said on his podcast, Geraint Thomas Cycling Club.
(Reporting by Chiranjit Ojha in Bengaluru; Editing by Bernadette Baum)
