Romain Gregoire wins Tour of Britain as Geraint Thomas retires on final day
Gregoire held a two-second advantage to secure the overall victory after the shortest stage ended in a sprint; Thomas completed a hometown farewell on the final circuit.
Romain Gregoire of Groupama-FDJ clinched the overall victory in the Tour of Britain on Sunday as veteran rider Geraint Thomas rode his final professional race in front of a home crowd.
Gregoire, 22, entered the sixth and final stage with a slender two-second lead over Olympic road race champion Remco Evenepoel and held on after the 112.2-kilometre leg from Newport to Cardiff, which included the Caerphilly mountain and finished in a bunch sprint. Olav Kooij of Team Visma | Lease a Bike won the stage in a sprint ahead of British riders Samuel Watson and Fred Wright; Gregoire placed 13th on the day while Evenepoel was 24th, leaving Gregoire with a 2-second margin to win the general classification.
"It is crazy and I am really happy," Gregoire said after securing the green jersey. "It was really close this morning and to be honest I was nervous as I knew it would be really tough. To win a stage race like this is something rare in your career." His victory marked Gregoire's second stage-race triumph and placed him on a podium that also included two world champions: Remco Evenepoel in second and Julian Alaphilippe in third.
Stage six was the shortest of the event but decisive for the final sprint. Kooij crossed the line in 2 hours, 28 minutes and 19 seconds with Watson and Wright credited the same time. Edoardo Zambanini finished fourth on the stage, Noa Isidore fifth and Alaphilippe sixth.
The final general classification recorded Gregoire at 19 hours, 31 minutes and 23 seconds. Evenepoel finished second at plus two seconds and Alaphilippe was third at plus four seconds. British rider Oscar Onley finished fourth overall at eight seconds back, while Aurelien Paret-Peintre was fifth at 12 seconds. The top 10 was rounded out by Afonso Eulalio, Ilan van Wilder, Bauke Mollema, Pello Bilbao and Pavel Sivakov.
The race also served as a farewell to Geraint Thomas. The 39-year-old, the 2018 Tour de France champion and a multiple Olympic track gold medallist, completed what became a lap of honour in 62nd place on the final stage. The route began at the velodrome in Newport named after Thomas and passed his childhood club, Maindy Flyers, before finishing in Cardiff.
"I was emotional crossing the line, I was almost like choking up riding my bike," Thomas said. "It's definitely emotional to finish here and it is just unbelievable really, it is a full circle moment." Thomas — who won track gold at two Olympics and road race gold at the 2014 Commonwealth Games — had earlier indicated discussions about remaining with Team Ineos after retirement but said normal life was his immediate plan. "I have got to take the little one to school on Tuesday and then I have my brother's stag do in Portugal," he said.
The Tour of Britain featured a mix of sprint finishes and selective terrain over its stages, with Gregoire's stage-four victory providing the crucial advantage he defended to the end. The final standings reinforced the depth of the field: world-class time triallists and one-day specialists featured prominently on the podium while young riders including Gregoire and Oscar Onley produced notable performances for their teams.
Race organisers and teams will now turn their attention to the late-season calendar as riders recover from the Tour of Britain and prepare for upcoming WorldTour events. For Gregoire, the victory adds a significant early-career stage-race title, while Thomas's retirement closes a decorated professional chapter for one of Britain and Wales's most celebrated cyclists.