Yesterday morning, Geraint Thomas started his final professional race. A huge and highly emotive moment at the end of a momentous career spanning 20 seasons. When he finishes the Tour of Britain Men on Sunday in his home city of Cardiff, there are unlikely to be many dry eyes around the place.
And that, really, is the way it should be. Perhaps more than many careers, being a professional cyclist begins as a dream and becomes an identity, and a way of life. Retirement is, understandably, often a wrench. But not always.
