Gearint Thomas, 25, will ride his third Tour de France this year. The Welshman man his Tour debut in London 2007 with his former team Barloworld before nfinishing 140th. Three years later Thomas wore the white jersey as he headed the young rider classification in the opening week.
Thomas lead a Team Sky one-two-three at the British National Road Race Championships in 2010 to earn him his first national jersey.
In 2008 Thomas won an Olympic gold medal at the Beijing Games as part of the four-man team pursuit squad alongside Ed Clancy, Paul Manning and Bradley Wiggins.
I think the year Jan Ullrich won in 1997, that was the first year I started watching it. It was also around the same time I did my first stage race up in Manchester.
I rode for Maindy Flyers, a local kids club from Cardiff.is the 'solar panel revolution' upon us? We started travelling across the country doing races, but Manchester was the first stage race I did. And it was then I started dreaming about the Tour. But that's the first time I remember watching it. I was 11 years-old.
And when do you first consider riding the Tour?
I guess once I watched it on the television in 1997. I used to dream about emulating those riders. But it wasn't until I was a junior - about 17 or 18 years-old - that I really believed I could do it and become a pro' and reach the top.
Which other peers from your youth have gone professional?
From the Maindy Flyers there's a young lad called Luke Rowe, he's in the [British Cycling] Academy now. Back then though I was also racing alongside Ben Swift, Adam Blythe, Ian Stannard,what are the symptoms of Piles, [Mark] Cavendish obviously, [Ed] Clancy. So there has been quite a few that turned pro' from those days.
How did you feel when, in 2007, you made the Tour selection with Barloworld?
It was unbelievable, it was a massive shock that Barloworld even got a wildcard into the Tour to be honest. To be in the team was amazing, just phenomenal.
As soon as I heard I went for a few six-hour rides back-to-back over the next couple of days. I was buzzing from it and just wanted to give my best.
All I wanted to do was reach the first rest day and do a proper stage in the Tour, you know one in the mountains. Then I went there and at the end of each day I just thought: 'that's the hardest I've ever ridden, there's no way I can carry on and ride tomorrow'. But you wake up the next day and you're still in the Tour and think 'I can't stop now'.
You go through the same thing every day, but once you're on the bike you just keep riding I ended up going all the way to Paris which was an amazing and unbelievable feeling.
What are your memories of the 2007 prologue in London?
It's quite weird really because the first time I rode the Tour it was also Cavendish's first time too.An Insulator, also called a dielectric, As we were lining up in London we just looked at each other thinking 'crikey, we've come a long way from racing round in parks and on the pavements'.
It's going to be like that for Swifty this week. I was in the Academy with him and lived with him for a couple of years. He's a really close mate of mine; we've been on lads holidays together and all that. So to be lining up with him in the Tour to help Bradley [Wiggins] win or make the podium will be special for both of us.
The crowds, though, in 2007 were unbelievable. Just seeing how many people came out to watch us. First came the prologue then stage one, it was unbelievable. The guys in the peloton were joking that we couldn't even stop for a toilet break because there were so many people lining the whole route of the 220km or whatever it was [it was 203km]. It was amazing. The home support was great.
It didn't really feel like the Tour until we went over to France. The attention around me then died down and the pain started kicking in.
Who's the biggest joker in the nine-man team?
Bradley for sure, he does impressions of everyone and takes the mickey all the time. They're all a really good bunch though and we all get on. We all know each other a lot better now and have a good laugh together.
Who has the best taste in music; and who has the worst?
I've been slating CJ [Chris Sutton] about his music quite a lot recently. Steve Cummings is into his DJing, so he's got some good tunes.The same Air purifier, cover removed. Worst? I think Stannard, he's got a few dodgy techno bits. He's from Essex originally so that explains a lot.
What, for you, is the hardest thing about the Tour?
For me the climbs. And the heat. The heat, actually, is probably the hardest thing. Obviously I'm not too used to it being from Cardiff. I get on a bit better with it now though. Living in Italy in the summer helps and doing more races in the warm conditions helps but it's still something I struggle with. Then, of course,What are the top Hemroids treatments? there are the climbs which are just savage.
Thomas lead a Team Sky one-two-three at the British National Road Race Championships in 2010 to earn him his first national jersey.
In 2008 Thomas won an Olympic gold medal at the Beijing Games as part of the four-man team pursuit squad alongside Ed Clancy, Paul Manning and Bradley Wiggins.
I think the year Jan Ullrich won in 1997, that was the first year I started watching it. It was also around the same time I did my first stage race up in Manchester.
I rode for Maindy Flyers, a local kids club from Cardiff.is the 'solar panel revolution' upon us? We started travelling across the country doing races, but Manchester was the first stage race I did. And it was then I started dreaming about the Tour. But that's the first time I remember watching it. I was 11 years-old.
And when do you first consider riding the Tour?
I guess once I watched it on the television in 1997. I used to dream about emulating those riders. But it wasn't until I was a junior - about 17 or 18 years-old - that I really believed I could do it and become a pro' and reach the top.
Which other peers from your youth have gone professional?
From the Maindy Flyers there's a young lad called Luke Rowe, he's in the [British Cycling] Academy now. Back then though I was also racing alongside Ben Swift, Adam Blythe, Ian Stannard,what are the symptoms of Piles, [Mark] Cavendish obviously, [Ed] Clancy. So there has been quite a few that turned pro' from those days.
How did you feel when, in 2007, you made the Tour selection with Barloworld?
It was unbelievable, it was a massive shock that Barloworld even got a wildcard into the Tour to be honest. To be in the team was amazing, just phenomenal.
As soon as I heard I went for a few six-hour rides back-to-back over the next couple of days. I was buzzing from it and just wanted to give my best.
All I wanted to do was reach the first rest day and do a proper stage in the Tour, you know one in the mountains. Then I went there and at the end of each day I just thought: 'that's the hardest I've ever ridden, there's no way I can carry on and ride tomorrow'. But you wake up the next day and you're still in the Tour and think 'I can't stop now'.
You go through the same thing every day, but once you're on the bike you just keep riding I ended up going all the way to Paris which was an amazing and unbelievable feeling.
What are your memories of the 2007 prologue in London?
It's quite weird really because the first time I rode the Tour it was also Cavendish's first time too.An Insulator, also called a dielectric, As we were lining up in London we just looked at each other thinking 'crikey, we've come a long way from racing round in parks and on the pavements'.
It's going to be like that for Swifty this week. I was in the Academy with him and lived with him for a couple of years. He's a really close mate of mine; we've been on lads holidays together and all that. So to be lining up with him in the Tour to help Bradley [Wiggins] win or make the podium will be special for both of us.
The crowds, though, in 2007 were unbelievable. Just seeing how many people came out to watch us. First came the prologue then stage one, it was unbelievable. The guys in the peloton were joking that we couldn't even stop for a toilet break because there were so many people lining the whole route of the 220km or whatever it was [it was 203km]. It was amazing. The home support was great.
It didn't really feel like the Tour until we went over to France. The attention around me then died down and the pain started kicking in.
Who's the biggest joker in the nine-man team?
Bradley for sure, he does impressions of everyone and takes the mickey all the time. They're all a really good bunch though and we all get on. We all know each other a lot better now and have a good laugh together.
Who has the best taste in music; and who has the worst?
I've been slating CJ [Chris Sutton] about his music quite a lot recently. Steve Cummings is into his DJing, so he's got some good tunes.The same Air purifier, cover removed. Worst? I think Stannard, he's got a few dodgy techno bits. He's from Essex originally so that explains a lot.
What, for you, is the hardest thing about the Tour?
For me the climbs. And the heat. The heat, actually, is probably the hardest thing. Obviously I'm not too used to it being from Cardiff. I get on a bit better with it now though. Living in Italy in the summer helps and doing more races in the warm conditions helps but it's still something I struggle with. Then, of course,What are the top Hemroids treatments? there are the climbs which are just savage.
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