Gregoire wins Tour of Britain as Thomas retires
The Tour of Britain is Romain Gregoire's second stage race victory
- Published
France's Romain Gregoire won the Tour of Britain for Groupama-Fdj as cycling legend Geraint Thomas retired from the sport on the final day of the competition.
Gregoire, 22, won stage four on Friday and headed into the final day with a two second lead over Olympic road race champion Remco Evenepoel.
Stage six marked the shortest leg of the event as the riders covered 112.2km between Newport and Cardiff, tackling Caerphilly mountain before a sprint finish into the Welsh capital
Olav Kooij of the Netherlands took the stage victory, getting the better of British hopefuls Sam Watson and Fred Wright in a sprint to the line.
Gregoire could only manage a 13th place finish on the final day, but with Evenepoel back in 24th it was enough for him to keep his two second lead.
"It is crazy and I am really happy," said Gregoire 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 compatriot Julian Alaphilippe took third place overall to put Gregoire ahead of two World champions on the podium.
Oscar Onley ended the week as the best-placed British rider; he finished fourth in the general classification.
Thomas bids farewell to cycling
Geraint Thomas ended his career riding for Ineos Grenadiers
The race marked the end of Thomas' astonishing career.
The 2018 Tour de France champion finished the stage in 62nd position as he rode what became a lap of honour through his hometown.
The final stage began at the velodrome named after the 39-year-old in Newport and went past his childhood cycling club, Maindy Flyers, before ending in Cardiff.
Thomas, who won track gold at two Olympics as well as road race gold at the 2014 Commonwealth Games, is widely regarded as one of the greatest Welsh sportsmen of all time.
"I was emotional crossing the line, I was almost like choking up riding my bike," said Thomas.
"It's definitely emotional to finish here and it is just unbelievable really, it is a full circle moment.
Thomas previously said he held discussions over staying on at Team Ineos following his retirement, but that was the last thing on his mind after the race.
"I have got to take the little one to school on Tuesday and then I have my brother's stag do in Portugal," joked Thomas when asked about what was next.
"A little bit of normality," he added.
Stage six results
1. Olav Kooij (Ned/Team Visma | Lease a Bike) 2hrs 28mins 19secs
2. Samuel Watson (GB/INEOS Grenadiers) same time
3. Fred Wright (GB/Bahrain - Victorious)
4. Edoardo Zambanini (Ita/Bahrain - Victorious)
5. Noa Isidore (Fra/Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team)
6. Julian Alaphilippe (Fra/Tudor Pro Cycling Team)
7. Bastien Tronchon (Fra/Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team)
8. Tom Crabbe (Bel/Team Flanders - Baloise)
9. Antonio Morgado (Por/UAE Team Emirates - XRG)
10. Brady Gilmore (Aus/Israel - Premier Tech)
General classification after stage six
1. Romain Gregoire (Fra/Groupama-Fdj) 19hrs 31mins 23secs
2. Remco Evenepoel (Bel/Soudal Quick-Step) + 2secs
3. Julian Alaphilippe (Fra/Tudor Pro Cycling Team) + 4secs
4. Oscar Onley (GB/Team Picnic PostNL) + 8secs
5. Aurelien Paret-Peintere (Fra/Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team) + 12secs
6. Afonso Eulalio (Por/Bahrain - Victorious) same time
7. Ilan van Wilder (Bel/Soudal Quick-Step)
8. Bauke Mollema (Ned/Lidl - Trek)
9. Pello Bilabo (Esp/Bahrain - Victorious) + 17secs
10. Pavel Sivakov (Fra/UAE Team Emirates - XRG) same time