CyclistMeet the new boss: Geraint Thomas profileThe last time Geraint Thomas spoke to Cyclist, when the 2018 Tour de France winner was still racing, safety was at the top of the agenda. Some of his comments back then sound remarkably prescient.Look at other sports safety aspects, F1 or whatever, he said in 2024. Youre on closed circuits and its a lot more controlled. This sport is just totally different. Youre going down these descents, flying down them. If this was a new sport theres no way it would be allowed. But just because of the tradition and the oh, its always been this way, well its not an excuse anymore, is it?Back then, as he and Ineos owner Jim Ratcliffe lobbied for greater safety, he couldnt have imagined that he would be steering a newly bereaved rider through a Grand Tour, which was where he found himself in mid-August.Fin Tarlings death left almost everyone in cycling in shock, including Thomas. He described the level of grief that the Tarling family was experiencing as unimaginable. Within days he was tasked with managing Josh Tarling through the Vuelta a Espaa, which began barely a week after the Welshmans younger brother had died.That was an unexpected responsibility for Thomas, of far greater significance than any strategy meeting or transfer deal. It was also something that none of the experiences in his earlier career could have prepared him for.As baptisms of fire go, Geraint Thomass first year in management has been among the most extreme. In less than six months he dealt with a re-brand, the loss of the teams star rider for the Tour de France, illness, injury and bad results, and finally, the sensitive issue of managing a grief-stricken rider in the public eye.Tough going, he calls it, with his usual understatement.Company manIts late April in Londons Kings Cross and theres a warmth to the spring sunshine as the media gathers for what has become the worst-kept secret in cycling sponsorship. After weeks of speculation, Ineos Grenadiers are about to become Netcompany Ineos.Theres a bunch of Scandinavian corporates in dark jackets and open-neck shirts, some stressed-looking chaperones and PRs, a rare public appearance from Dave Brailsford and, sitting calmly at the back, wearing a slightly amused look on his face, Thomas.The partnership with the Danish AI gurus at Netcompany is enough to bring Brailsford out of his vow of media silence, albeit briefly. The former Team Sky performance director takes to the stage to welcome Netcompany in ebullient form.The next frontier is understanding individual response, Brailsford enthuses. If you can achieve that through AI, you will get better consistency. Thats where I see the big opportunity coming.Next up on stage is Netcompany CEO Andr Rogaczewski: When you marry an IT company with the most winning cycling team in the world, you achieve a mean winning machine.As Thomas looks on, Rogaczewski promises the Earth: We will win the Tour de France for the eighth time in the next five years, he says.The reality of achieving that task is a different matter, as Thomas knows only too well. With Brailsford back on the management team, but very much in the shadows, the job of fronting up has fallen to Thomas.Later, post-launch, we catch up with the elusive Brailsford. Will he be talking on record to the media this year? Theres a pause. Geraints the face of the team now, he says, not me.Its understandable why Thomas is front and centre. Hes always been good to talk to, affable, direct and blessed with a dry and occasionally withering wit that does not suffer fools. Theres none of the tension that always seems to surround Brailsford when hes talking to the media. But managing the team and the expectations around the team, when performances are consistently lacking, is a different matter. Theres only so many times that you can praise your riders for giving it a go.Then theres the continuing talk of the team being in transition, which has now become almost incessant. Theres been a revolving door of top talent at Ineos, from Tom Pidcock to Pauline Ferrand-Prvot, Dan Bigham to Steve Cummings. There have also been the ones that got away, including Remco Evenepoel. Now Thomas has to polish the rough diamond that is Oscar Onley after a tumultuous transfer wrangle and a traumatic first season.The way he came here was not normal, Thomas says. It was late, so for sure it took a bit of a toll on him. Its just getting him back, fit and happy and racing his bike.Oscar is mentally strong, he wants to perform and hes desperate to do that; he puts a lot of pressure on himself. We just want to help him relax and get him enjoying the bike again. Theres no pressure from us to get a result.Even so, getting his riders up to the level he competed at will be an unenviable task for Thomas. And as Rogaczewski talks up the team, the Welshman wears a stony face. In the age of Pogaar, he is very aware of how far his riders are from competing for a Tour de France win.Article continues belowPete GodingPete GodingPete GodingPete GodingPete GodingThomas on TourStanding outside the Netcompany Ineos bus in Barcelona at the beginning of July, theres one thing you cant help noticing about Thomas, former Grand Tour winner. Hes got hairy legs.I cant be arsed to shave them, he says. I do feel a bit like this looks weird.When he first took on his new role at the team, his past life as an athlete ground to a halt. Now, as he gets deeper into the job, hes trying to address that. Hes running in the Cardiff half marathon this autumn and is giving other sports a go too.Theres no hiding in Cardiff, he smiles. Theres an opportunity to do different sports. Ive done a bit of padel, had a few golf lessons, a bit of running. But its finding the balance. At first I did quite a bit, but then Id have calls until noon and another one at 2pm. Prioritising stuff has been a big part of the job, but you feel so much better after a bit of exercise. We can spend eight or nine hours on the bus, so you just have to get out and do something.Its just stuff Ive always wanted to do. Like going to Ally Pally over Christmas and watching the darts. Just being a fan.Its hot in Montjuc and the finish line for the opening stage of the 2026 Tour de France, a 19.6km team time-trial, doesnt offer an awful lot of shelter from the sun. The stage culminates right at the top of the former Olympic Games park with its panoramic views across the city.Theres a troupe of expectant Netcompany VIPs walking up the hill, heading for the guest enclosures at the finish area. It turns out to be a long and ultimately disappointing afternoon for them. Thomas and his team arrived at the Tour without the injured Onley but still, on paper, with enough proven talent Filippo Ganna, Egan Bernal, Kvin Vauquelin to have an impact on the race. As it turns out, the opening stage in Barcelona is as good as it gets.The fast avenues of the Catalan city should favour Thomass team and designated lead rider, Ganna, who takes on that role after Vauquelin suffers the first of many punctures. Fastest through all the checkpoints, they set the best time, with the Italian powering into the lead in the final 800 metres. Then they have to wait.It is Jonas Vingegaard, not Pogaar, who shatters their hopes of a first yellow jersey since Bernal won the Tour in 2019. Who knows if they could have had the overall lead if Vauquelin hadnt punctured?The plan goes out the window once you get punched in the face, Thomas says afterwards.After the promise of the opening day, it all goes downhill quickly. There are too many missed opportunities, misjudged attacks and punctures almost a dozen. In the absence of Onley, the team at times seems rudderless, as if it is chasing its own tail. And it is Thomas, not Brailsford, who is left to face the media.Facing the challengeAs the Tour ends, Cyclist talks to Thomas some more. It has been a chastening three weeks.Theres a lot of learning for me, Thomas admits. Racing, the stuff around it, the plan, Im used to all that, but its the whole management side. Dealing with different people in different areas, how to get the best out of certain people, the staff as much as the riders.Onleys absence meant that there had been plenty of crisis management before the Tour.It wasnt ideal, Thomas says of his hastily reshuffled lineup. We still had faith that the guys we had to choose from could perform and do something, but we knew coming in that if we didnt perform in the team time-trial, it was going to be a struggle.Even the shift in objectives, from targeting the podium to hunting stages, hadnt worked out.Stages are harder and harder to come by and of the three breakaway days, two of them were taken by Mads Pedersen and Mathieu van der Poel, the two best Classics riders in the world.But now, in the modern era, almost every stage in the Tour is a GC stage.Yeah, Thomas agrees. Thats right. In Paris-Nice, Catalunya or Romandie they have those days that could be a break or could be a sprint. On the Tour they seem to be much fewer. I think just for the race and for the racing allowing more people to be competitive and to go for it would be better. But I dont plan the race, and I know theres a lot more going into it.He admits that moving from the team to the sidelines has been a big shift in mindset.On a personal level, at first it was a bit of a challenge with guys that Id known for a while. But I knew that from the start. I had that mutual respect with them and its hard to build that, and so easy to lose it.I started from a good point with them, but Ive really been focused on being completely honest with them and telling them what I really think. Thats not easy. The main challenge was the broader picture and everything from the team collective, from commercial to nutrition to coaching. Its good to get a feel for everything, but in March I had to sit down with Dave and a couple of guys from the management team and say, I need to prioritise now.Has he pushed back against their expectations?Its more that Id say, But what about this? rather than dont do that. The hardest bit is not being on the bike anymore. Im sat on the bus watching, and you feel a bit helpless sometimes.Ive been so used to being in the mix when at least you can try and influence it, but now Ive no control over that. Im trying to get everything right for the guys in the build-up to it and then being involved in how we want to execute. Then, when it comes to the crunch, you cant. I knew that was going to be a bit of a struggle because I want to be in there with them. I dont miss racing, but I miss being able to affect racing.There is no doubt that the British team is still far from the dominant force it used to be.I know how the boys will be feeling when they get it wrong or make a little mistake. I know exactly that feeling, Thomas emphasises. Its like Sa, my wife, often talked about being super-nervous when I was racing. I was always pretty chilled, like, I know what Im doing, theres nothing you can do. But these days, in this job, I can definitely relate to how she felt.Pete GodingWelsh rare bitsHighlights of Geraint Thomass long career on the bike1986Born Geraint Howell Thomas in Cardiff on 25th May2006After some early success on the track, signs for Spanish squad Saunier Duval-Prodir as a stagiaire2007Debuts at the Tour de France for Barloworld as the youngest rider in the race2010Joins the newly formed Team Sky, wins the National Championships Road Race2014Finishes on the podium at E3 Harelbeke, claims his first stage race GC win at Bayern-Rundfahrt and wins gold in the road race at the Commonwealth Games2015Wins E3 Harelbeke and the Volta ao Algarve in the spring and places in the top five overall at Paris-Nice and the Critrium du Dauphin2017Takes his first Grand Tour stage on the opening day of the Tour to wear the yellow jersey on his way to helping Chris Froome claim his third straight Tour victory2018Wins back-to-back Tour stages in the Alps to take the yellow jersey, and defends it all the way to Paris to become the first Welsh Grand Tour winner2019Finishes second to teammate Egan Bernal as Team Sky win their fifth straight Tour de France title2023Misses out on a second career Grand Tour success at the Giro dItalia by just 14 seconds to overall winner Primo Rogli2025Announces his retirement from pro cycling and moves into a directeur sportif role at Netcompany IneosPete GodingThomas onthe recent changes to the final stage of the TourI hated it when they changed it when I was a rider. It was tradition and it felt weird doing the Montmartre climb but now I think its great. Im happy they have, because its another opportunity.night-time testing during the TourId never heard of that before. Id mistakenly thought you couldnt do it. If somebody was waking me up at 2am to wee in a pot, Id be like, What is this? Maybe they have got their reasons, but I just dont understand it.keeping faith with Oscar OnleyHes a great rider. Hes a super talent with an attitude that I can relate to. Ive got 100% faith that he will be good in this team. I just dont want to see him suffering from putting extra pressure on himself.The post Meet the new boss: Geraint Thomas profile appeared first on Cyclist.