Latest news with #GeraintThomas
Telegraph
2 days ago
- Sport
- Telegraph
Dave Brailsford future in doubt as doping questions overshadow Ineos Grenadiers' Tour
For Ineos Grenadiers the 2025 Tour de France was supposed to be about renewal. Welcoming a familiar face back into the fold in Sir Dave Brailsford following his well-publicised football sojourn. Saying farewell to one of the most popular riders in the team's history in Geraint Thomas. Developing the next generation: GC hopeful Carlos Rodríguez, Thymen Arensman, the young Briton Sam Watson. After years of drift, the image that Ineos wanted to present to the world on the eve of the race was one of a team who were getting to grips with the future. Brailsford was seemingly a big part of that. 'It's obvious we want to win the Tour [again],' said chief executive John Allert of Ineos's stated ambition. 'But there's no point just saying you want to win the Tour: you've got to do something about it. That's why it's great to welcome Dave back into the fold. Dave loves a performance challenge and this is the biggest one there is.' Allert added that Brailsford was 'like a kid in a sweet shop, talking about climbs and getting back to the mountains. That's the battlefield that he knows and loves'. Unfortunately for Brailsford, and the team, the battlefield they ended up on was a very different one, albeit one equally familiar to them. The case of David Rozman, Ineos Grenadiers' head carer, who was forced to leave the Tour after the International Testing Agency (ITA) launched an investigation into alleged messages he exchanged in 2012 with subsequently convicted German doping doctor Mark Schmidt, completely engulfed the British squad. Ineos initially declined to speak to journalists after Paul Kimmage of the Sunday Independent named Rozman as the longstanding Ineos member of staff referred to in a doping documentary by German broadcaster ARD pre-Tour. Then they claimed the allegations had not 'been presented to the team by an appropriate authority'. In the end they were forced to admit that Rozman had been informally contacted by the ITA back in April and that they had commissioned a 'thorough review by an external law firm'. Given the potential for the whole thing to blow up in their faces – ARD first approached Ineos at the Giro d'Italia back in May so they knew this was coming – it is incredible that Brailsford chose this Tour to come back. In fact, it is tempting to wonder whether it would have blown up the way it has if he had not. Was it his presence back at the race that acted like a magnet? Either way, it completely overshadowed Thomas's 14th and final Tour, not to mention the two stage wins by Arensman, who was forced to field questions in his winner's press conferences about something which occurred when he was a child. 'Do you think it's fair that you're celebrating the biggest result of your career and the journalists are having to ask you what's going on?' the 25-year-old was asked after the victory at Luchon-Superbagnères on stage 14. 'Yeah, I don't know, weird that they don't really answer you,' he replied, not unreasonably. Where do Ineos go from here? Can Brailsford survive? Can the team survive? If Rozman has been found to have done anything wrong – and the allegation is that he sent Dr Schmidt messages in 2012, the year Sir Bradley Wiggins became the first British rider to win the Tour – it could prove terminal. Sir Jim Ratcliffe, the Ineos co-owner who bought the team in 2019, famously said when he took over: 'The day any of that enters our world [doping] then we would leave cycling.' Even if nothing is proven, it looks horrific, another in a long line of controversies that includes the employment of medical consultant Geert Leinders, who worked with Team Sky in 2012 and who was subsequently banned for life for multiple doping violations from 1996-2009 at a previous team, Wiggins' use of TUEs (therapeutic use exemptions) ahead of the three biggest races of his life, exposed by Russian hackers Fancy Bears, and which an MPs inquiry found to be 'unethical', Chris Froome's AAF (adverse analytical finding) for salbutamol in 2018 which he subsequently overturned, the infamous jiffy bag that was flown out to the Critérium du Dauphiné in 2011, and the arrival of a box of testosterone to British Cycling's headquarters that same year which resulted in a four-year ban for Dr Richard Freeman. Team Sky and later Ineos have consistently denied any wrongdoing, but patience is wearing thin. Brailsford, who in the old days preached transparency and openness, telling journalists that the door was always open, has long since given up speaking. 'I won't be commenting,' he told media when journalists first started gathering outside the bus to ask about Rozman. 'F-----g hell guys, come on,' he added. Now he cannot answer because there is an official investigation ongoing. Even if he survives, one wonders whether this will affect Brailsford's appetite to return to cycling in a leadership role after his time out in football. He is still director of sport for Ineos, with a broad overview of the company's sporting portfolio. Will he go back to flitting between them? Ineos's appetite to continue in professional cycling is also unclear. Ratcliffe admitted to the Telegraph during last autumn's America's Cup that the team was 'under consideration', adding their results were 'not good'. Ineos won just 14 races in 2024, the lowest total in the team's history, and were winless at the Tour. Allert then said in January that Ineos 'don't want to spend more money' and were actively looking for a second title sponsor. TotalEnergies were announced as a jersey sponsor prior to this Tour, but it is unclear how much more patience Ratcliffe has. A spokesperson for Ineos did not return a request for comment. On the performance side, the team still feels a long way from being Tour-competitive, which is Ratcliffe's stated aim. While Ineos have lots of talented riders, how many of them would you build a team around? Rodríguez finished fifth in 2023, seventh in 2024 and was 10th overall this year before fracturing his pelvis in a heavy crash on stage 17. Arensman, 25, had a breakthrough Tour, and has twice finished sixth in the Giro and once in the Vuelta a España. But he was not targeting the general classification this year, and is not at the same level as a Tadej Pogacar or a Jonas Vingegaard. Who is? Remco Evenepoel is possibly the closest but it looks as if the Belgian is going to Bora-Hansgrohe. There are reasons to be more positive. Thomas is said to have been offered a management role, which could be interesting. The Welshman has always seemed immune to the troubles swirling around him, a friendly, likeable presence on the team. It also appears Ineos may be starting up an under-23 team under the guidance of performance director Scott Drawer and Simon Watts, the performance pathway manager. This could yield results down the line. But again, how much patience does Ratcliffe have? In the meantime, the team will batten down the hatches while they wait for the ITA to rule on Rozman. There is a lot riding on it. The Slovenian also worked with Team GB at the 2012 and 2016 Olympics. He was personal soigneur to Froome for years. The four-time Tour champion must be wanting Rozman to explain himself. Brailsford, too. 'We have welcomed him back into the team with open arms,' Allert said of Brailsford's return less than a month ago. 'He's a not-so-secret weapon for us to use, and we plan on using him to the fullest extent we can. It's great to have him back.' A team statement read: 'David Rozman was informally contacted in April 2025 by a member of ITA staff, who asked him about alleged historical communications. David immediately notified the team of his meeting with the ITA and his recollection of the contents of the meeting. Although the ITA assured David at the time that he was not under investigation, Ineos promptly commissioned a thorough review by an external law firm. 'The team has acted responsibly and with due process, taking the allegations seriously whilst acknowledging that David is a long-standing, dedicated member of the team. The team continues to assess the circumstances and any relevant developments, and has formally requested any relevant information from the ITA.'
BBC News
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Cycling great Thomas bids emotional Tour farewell
There is a scene in Goodfellas, a continuous one-take shot as iconic as the film itself, where the protagonist Henry takes his future wife Karen to an exclusive club, skipping the queue by entering via a backdoor, walking through a vast, winding kitchen and into the dining room, handing out cash and fleeting niceties to the scores of different people he passes along the may have seen it even if you have not watched the film. A table is then specially brought to the new couple, played by Ray Liotta and Lorraine Bracco, in a prime position near the stage, and a fellow diner sends over Sunday night in Paris, walking alongside Geraint Thomas making his way from the Tour de France finish line to his team bus felt like a cyclist's reimagining of that the 39-year-old is retiring at the end of the year, this was his final Tour, a chance to bid farewell to the race that made him a national hero when he won it in 2018. And everybody wanted a piece of in his kit, on his bike and with his five-year-old son Macs sat on the handlebar, Thomas could barely move without a hand reaching out for a high five. As he wheeled past rival team buses, riders and coaches were constantly calling his name, falling over themselves to congratulate the achievements elevate one's status in Paris like wearing the yellow jersey as the Tour de France champion, crowned atop the podium in the shadow of the Arc de he was not victorious this year, Thomas was still in demand, given his 18-year association with this grand old was the youngest rider at the Tour de France in 2007, the champion 11 years later, and now the oldest participant in cycling's greatest race - the only man in the Tour's long and storied history to have been all three."It's been amazing," Thomas told BBC Sport Wales. "Looking back, I never thought I'd be doing 14 Tours and to win it was just bonkers. I can look back with fond memories."It was something I always dreamed of doing so to have just done it and be in Paris once is special you know. To do 14 is unreal really, one hell of a journey."I'm not one to be too sentimental and look back or whatever, you're always sort of thinking of the next thing. But I guess when it comes to the end there's nothing else to look forward to is there?" Thomas is not an outwardly emotional or demonstrative person by nature, but the Tour is a race like no other, a cultural phenomenon that transcends is the reason why Thomas, as a child, begged his parents for a Eurosport subscription, why he rushed home from school to watch on TV, hooked on a sport which was something of an alternative curiosity when it came to the sporting order of things in the UK in the Tour, however, has always cut through. Mention the yellow jersey to almost anyone and they will think of this race, regardless of whether or not they've actually ever watched is why Thomas has often said that it was winning the Tour that really changed his after successive Olympic gold medals and several world titles, he was only occasionally recognised even in his home city of Cardiff when he went out with friends and once he became Tour champion, Thomas was hurled into a different was voted BBC Sports Personality of the Year, sat next to Nicole Kidman on Graham Norton's sofa and exchanged shirts with Lionel Messi at the Camp Nou. There were backstage passes for an Elton John concert too, what with Thomas signed up by Sir Elton's of that was remotely normal for a cyclist, regardless of how successful or likeable Thomas might be. Cycling is not a sport that lends itself to a glamorous have to sacrifice their family lives, their social lives, their diet – pretty much everything – to make it to the there is the colossal physical effort the sport was Thomas' 14th Tour, during which he has cycled for more than 1,000 hours and in excess of 26,000 miles – which is longer than the circumference of the still only makes up a fraction of the distances he will have clocked in all his other races and training sessions; literal years spent on a wonder, then, that he was ready to call it a day."It definitely feels like the right time now. It was a super hard race," Thomas said."The Tour is always hard, but the way racing is changing, not just physically, the aggression in the peloton and everything, the respect, everything is changing, so I'm definitely happy to be stepping away now." A decision on what comes next can wait. First, a chance to spend more time with Thomas sealed victory after the final time trial in 2018, the first person he saw after crossing the finish line was his wife Sara, flown in by the team bosses to surprise their new champion. On Sunday, she was by his side once more."It hasn't really hit home yet that this is the last one. We were just walking up the Champs Elysees, seeing the Arc de Triomphe and thinking, 'It's not every day you get to do this'," Sara said."It is a big part of our life but we're both very sure it's the right time to finish and excited for what lies ahead."The highs are amazing but the lows are so incredibly low that sometimes you start thinking if it's worthwhile, but then you get those amazing days again."It's going to be strange. It's going to be quite an adjustment having him always at home. It will be nice for him to do the mundane jobs, like the school pick-up and drop-off. Less travelling and being in one place for longer. I'm looking forward to that."The feeling was mutual."When you actually start to think about everything you've been through, you know, that's when it gets a bit like... yeah, it gets you," Thomas said, his voice breaking a little."They go through so much, just as much as me, if not more because they live the highs, but they live all the lows as well."And it's just been great that Macs has been able to be on the podium with me three times. Special memories."This is not quite the end of the road for Thomas, who will retire fully at the end of this year. Before then, there is time for one final race, September's Tour of Britain which will fittingly finish in a child with dreams of becoming a professional cyclists, Thomas had no Welsh role models whose paths he could follow, so he blazed his own becoming the first Welshman to win the Tour de France – having been only the second to compete in the iconic race – Thomas transformed cycling in his homeland, and secured his own legendary thousands who lined the streets of Cardiff for his 2018 homecoming were proof of that; freshly-converted cycling fans congregating to form the kind of throng usually reserved for Six Nations matchdays in the Welsh is Thomas' Tour legacy."This is where it all stated," Thomas said as he motioned towards the splendour of his Parisian surroundings."I did it my first year as a pro and was the youngest guy then and the oldest guy now, so it's full circle. It's the pinnacle of the sport, it's the biggest bike race in the world."To do 14 is unreal really, one hell of a journey."
The Independent
5 days ago
- Sport
- The Independent
Who is Oscar Onley? The talented Scot breaking through at the Tour de France
Viewers scanning the Tour de France general classification will see a mix of wholly expected names and some comparative unknowns. Tadej Pogacar leads the standings as his era-defining dominance continues; Jonas Vingegaard sits second behind his longtime rival. But accompanying the rider sitting fourth in the overall standings is a British flag: not former Tour de France winner and veteran Geraint Thomas, but the up-and-coming youngster Oscar Onley. The 22-year-old has been enjoying a breakout season and is in action in just his second Tour de France. He and his team came in targeting a stage win but are on course for a top-five finish, and very possibly a podium place, at the sport's biggest race. With every passing stage he has surpassed both his own expectations and that of all observers. So who is Onley, and what's behind his meteoric rise? Onley grew up in the Scottish Borders town of Kelso and was inspired to start cycling by the fact that the time-trial route for his local club, Kelso Wheelers, went right past his house. The youngster was soon hooked, and while he could have had a future as an elite cross-country runner, he eventually opted for two wheels instead. He raced in Europe as a junior before joining the development team of his current squad, Picnic PostNL, in 2021. His breakthrough win came in 2022 at the Giro Valle d'Aosta, an Italian stage race, before he finished third at the CRO Race - a stage race in Croatia - and he made the step up to WorldTour racing in 2023. He finished third at the Tour de Suisse, behind Joao Almeida and Kevin Vauquelin (AP) Onley picked up a few top-10s in his debut WorldTour season, including at major stage races the Tour de Romandie and the Criterium du Dauphine, but his Grand Tour debut didn't go to plan. The youngster was part of DSM-Firmenich's win in the team time trial on stage one of the 2023 Vuelta a Espana, but he crashed and broke his collarbone on stage two and was forced to abandon the race. But 2024 was to prove a standout year. He kicked it off in style with his first professional win at the Tour Down Under, the season-opening stage race in Australia, on the famous Willunga Hill climb, and finished fourth overall. He was 39th in his first full Grand Tour - last year's Tour de France - with his best result a fifth place on stage 17 to Superdevoluy, a tough mountain stage won by Richard Carapaz. He finished second overall at the Tour of Britain, winning the best young rider classification, and was the highest-placed British rider in the gruelling World Championships road race in Zurich. This year he has built on those experiences: he was fifth overall at the UAE Tour - won by Pogacar - then ninth at Itzulia Basque Country and third overall at the Tour de Suisse, a phenomenal race for the 22-year-old. Onley was seventh in stage 13's mountainous time trial (AFP via Getty Images) He took a stage win on Stage 5, beating overall winner Joao Almeida on a stage featuring four category-one climbs, and clearly rode into his best form at the perfect time with the Tour de France on the horizon. Having moved from the rolling Scottish hills to the mountains of Andorra, the 22-year-old is most at home when the gradient kicks up. So far in this Tour he has finished third, fourth twice, fifth, seventh, and sixth twice, with three of those fine results coming on gruelling back-to-back Pyrenean stages. While Onley is a pure climber, his seventh place on stage 13's mountainous time trial indicated that that sort of terrain against the clock also suits him well, which bodes well for a future as a serious GC contender. He was distanced by the likes of Vingegaard and Pogacar at the toughest gradients on the road stages to Hautacam and Superbagneres, but has shown he can ride his own pace to limit his losses, and has ridden a very mature race to rise to fourth overall. Onley follows Vingegaard and Pogacar on the toughest slopes of Col de la Loze (AP) Nowhere was that more on show than on the queen stage of the Tour: stage 18 from Vif to Courchevel, with the summit finish 2,304m above sea level on the mythical Col de la Loze. Onley was distanced on the day's second HC climb, the Col de la Madeleine, but paced himself well and was rejoined by his teammates on the valley road to Col de la Loze. With their support he conserved his energy and ultimately was the final GC rider to stick with Vingegaard and Pogacar on the steepest upper slopes of the formidable climb, only dropping in the closing few hundred metres. After stage 16's race to Mont Ventoux he was 2'01' behind Florian Lipowitz, the current third-placed rider and leader in the best young rider classification, but the queen stage saw him shave that deficit down to just 22 seconds, meaning Onley has a fine chance of both taking the white jersey in Paris and third spot on the podium. At the same time he built his advantage to 1'26' over five-time Grand Tour winner Primoz Roglic, Lipowitz's Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe teammate, who currently sits fifth. The Scot has consistently stuck with the yellow jersey group and finished third behind Pogacar and Vingegaard on stage seven (AFP via Getty Images) By the end of the second week, it looked as though the Scot himself was starting to believe he is real deal. He told ITV4 on Monday, 'It's something I wasn't expecting. It's really been a successful week, the Hautacam stage gave me a lot of confidence on the first climb, when I saw Remco [Evenepoel] being dropped and [Matteo] Jorgenson in trouble and I still felt really good. That was my first real test in the mountains with multiple climbs. 'The last day in the Pyrenees [stage 14 to Superbagneres] was the hardest stage for sure. I didn't feel super good that day but looking around, no one felt that good. Each stage that passes I'm gaining more confidence. 'The team have a lot of confidence in me, and maybe sometimes I need to have a little bit more confidence in myself. But that's starting to come now and I'm starting to see my place in the peloton and finding my way.' The team have insisted throughout this Tour that Onley is riding a 'relaxed GC', without any pressure on his shoulders, and that voyage of discovery of what exactly he's capable of continues this week, with one major day of climbing in the Alps left on Friday. Onley was fifth on stage 12 to Hautacam, behind only his GC rivals (AFP via Getty Images) And with the retirement of Romain Bardet, Picnic PostNL's veteran climber and GC rider, Onley is coming of age at just the right time - along with fellow 22-year-old British talent Max Poole, who represent a bright future for British GC hopefuls. Picnic PostNL's sports director Matt Winston told Velo this week, 'I think he's an incredible talent. He works hard, he's a quiet guy. But he is very thoughtful, very reflective. And he's doing a really good job.' Onley's ambitions of winning a stage at this Tour have been somewhat thwarted by his lofty position in the general classification, meaning that Pogacar and his UAE Team Emirates-XRG outfit will never let him go in a breakaway. That means that in order to win a stage the Scot will have to stick with Pogacar, Vingegaard, and the GC group in the high mountains and overhaul them. It's a daunting task for anyone, but he has already demonstrated he can stick with them. And regardless of the final outcome in Paris, Onley has marked himself out as a huge name to watch for the future.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Wales to host final stages of prestigious Tour of Britain
Wales will host the final two stages of the Lloyds Tour of Britain Men in September 2025. The prestigious event will see the world's best cyclists battling it out, with the rugged climbs of south Wales providing a stern test. The stages, on September 6, and 7, will feature routes through Pontypool, Newport, and Cardiff, with the notable ascent of The Tumble, near Abergavenny. This is expected to be the final race for INEOS Grenadiers rider, Geraint Thomas. For the first time, Pontypool will see the start of stage five on September 6. The route will navigate through Monmouthshire, concluding with a double climb of The Tumble. The final stage on September 7 kicks off at the Geraint Thomas National Velodrome of Wales in Newport. It will cut across the undulating landscapes of south Wales, passing Maindy Velodrome, before finishing in the heart of Cardiff city centre. This follows the successful hosting of the Lloyds National Road Championships in Aberaeron and Aberystwyth in June, under a three-year agreement between the Welsh Government and British Cycling. Jack Sargeant, Welsh government minister responsible for sport, said: "We're excited to welcome the Men's Tour of Britain back to Wales once again, an event we have proudly supported over a number of years. "The Tour has found a successful home in Wales, and each time it returns it showcases our cities, towns, communities and landscapes to an international audience, as well as attracting athletes from all over the world." A double climb of The Tumble will prove a stern test (Image: Zac Williams/ September will mark the second time that Cardiff has hosted the overall finish of the Lloyds Tour of Britain Men, having done so in 2017, and only the third time in the modern race's 21-year history that the event has finished in Wales. Jonathan Day, managing director of British Cycling Events, said: "Wales has provided some of the most iconic moments in Lloyds Tour of Britain history over the years, and this September will be no different. "The Lloyds Tour of Britain Men never fails to draw a crowd in south Wales, and with the four fantastic locations and two stages falling across a weekend we are confident that this will make for a really special atmosphere and a fantastic way to round out the race, and crown our 2025 champion." The weekend will also include an amateur event, the official Lloyds Tour of Britain Ride the Route on September 6, starting and finishing at the Geraint Thomas National Velodrome of Wales in Newport. The full routes of both Welsh stages will be revealed later in July. The Lloyds Tour of Britain Men begins in East Suffolk on September 2, with stages also in Suffolk, Milton Keynes, Central Bedfordshire and Warwickshire before the race arrives in Wales. Further announcements about the participating teams and all six stage routes will be made in the coming weeks.
Business News Wales
6 days ago
- Sport
- Business News Wales
South Wales to Host Latter Stages of Lloyds Tour of Britain Men 2025
This September, Torfaen will play host to the latter stages of the Lloyds Tour of Britain Men – Britain's biggest professional cycle race. On Saturday September 6 and Sunday September 7, the UK's largest free-to-spectate live sporting event will see the world's top cyclists racing two arduous stages across South Wales. Pontypool Park will host the start of Stage Five on Saturday September 6, as the British national tour visits the borough for the first time. The route will continue through Monmouthshire – culminating in a double ascent of The Tumble, near Abergavenny, which averages 8.2 per cent gradient for five kilometres, and will loop back through Torfaen later that day. Torfaen Council Leader Cllr Anthony Hunt said: 'It's exciting to have a stage of the Tour of Britain starting here in Pontypool, travelling through Torfaen and Monmouthshire. What a great opportunity to show off beautiful Pontypool Park and Blaenavon too. 'It will also give local people a great chance to come and see the race, and pay tribute to Welsh legend, Tour de France winner and Olympic champion Geraint Thomas in his last professional race.' To mark Geraint Thomas' last competitive race, the final stage on Sunday September 7, will start from the Geraint Thomas National Velodrome of Wales, in Newport, and pass Maindy Velodrome – home of Geriant's former club, the Maindy Flyers Cycling Club. As part of Wales' weekend of racing, amateur cyclists can also tackle the final stage of the race on Saturday 6 September, starting and finishing at Newport's Geraint Thomas Velodrome – one day before the professional competitors. Further details and the exact routes of both Welsh stages of the Lloyds Tour of Britain Men will be published later this month. Jonathan Day, Managing Director of British Cycling Events, said: 'The Lloyds Tour of Britain Men never fails to draw a crowd in South Wales, and with the four fantastic locations and two stages falling across a weekend, we are confident that this will make for a really special atmosphere and a fantastic way to round out the race, and crown our 2025 champion.' The Lloyds Tour of Britain Men begins in East Suffolk on Tuesday September 2, with legs between Woodbridge and Southwold, Suffolk at Stowmarket, Milton Keynes and Central Bedfordshire, and Warwickshire before the race arrives in Wales. Welsh Government Minister with responsibility for Sport, Jack Sargeant, said: 'We're excited to welcome the Men's Tour of Britain back to Wales once again, an event we have proudly supported over a number of years.' 'The Tour has found a successful home in Wales, and each time it returns it showcases our cities, towns, communities and landscapes to an international audience, as well as attracting athletes from all over the world.'
