Geraint Thomas: Tour de France winner given hero's welcome home to Cardiff

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Olivia Tobin9 August 2018

Thousands have gathered in Cardiff to welcome home Tour de France winner Geraint Thomas.

Fans cheered the 32-year-old cyclist as he was today officially congratulated on his win in France.

Thomas was met and formally congratulated by the First Minister Carwyn Jones and Llwydd Elin Jones at the Senedd, before cycling through the streets of Cardiff.

He became the first Welshman to win the 21-stage race which culminated in Paris on July 29.

The star was met by fans in Cardiff
PA

The sportsman was greeted by thousands of people, who gave him a roaring hero’s welcome.

He said he had been "blown away" by the support, the BBC reported.

"I'm used to racing in front of thousands of people but to walk out to this, this is bonkers," Thomas said

Thomas was then accompanied by young riders from various cycling clubs as they cycled together up St Mary Street.

Thomas donned the yellow jersey during the homecoming
REUTERS

The cyclist was beaming as he gave a talk to fans and looked out to a crowd of Welsh flags.

When asked what was next for him after his victory, he said: "A few more beers!"

He added: "I thought the race would be harder, I felt pretty good. The race was a dream and couldn't have gone better."

Fans gathered to try and grab a picture with the local hero, with Thomas taking time out to sign autographs for those who attended.

Thomas is the first Welshman to win the Tour de France
PA

In anticipation for the event, there was murals painted in honour of the star across Cardiff.

His old cycling centre, the Maindy Centre, also joined in praising the star.

Thomas won the 2018 Tour de France after riding home to glory in the 21 stage in Paris.

Thomas' wife, Sara, attended Thursday's celebrations to watch her husband's homecoming.

She told the BBC: "I still can’t believe it. I think Paris is a blur, and to see so many Welsh people in Paris was unbelievable.

Thomas shakes a young boy's hand
PA

“Genuinely, this morning we were worried about people turning up."

She added: "I did not expect anything like this, it’s unbelievable."

A boy draped in the Welsh flag at celebrations
PA

Following his win, the Welshman was inundated with messages of congratulations from across the sporting world.

Sir Bradley Wiggins, who won the tour in 2012, wrote: "Wow! Geraint Thomas, incredible three weeks, huge congratulations to him and Team Sky!"

He added in a second tweet: "Difficult to sum up how incredible this guys performance over the last 3 weeks has been, amazing to have seen how hard this man has worked over the last 15 years. A truly amazing athlete, congrats GeraintThomas86 #TDF2018"

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