Riding for Ratcliffe's INEOS & will protests change Tour de France forever?

14:21Geraint Thomas:on you yeah yeah it was kind of um that was the big thing that stood out with my dad was how he brought me up and what he said to me was similar to then when i started working with steve peters in the british cycling system it was always just like getting out there and just doing your best and not worrying about the outcomes and he'd always find a positive even if like I could win without winning almost you know it's like oh you got a scalp today it was always that was a big phrase like you got a scalp like you beat that kid you've never beaten that kid before so that was always a big plus and then you know whenever we'd be driving back from a race and I'd add like a good result or whatever I'd be like oh dad did you think I would have uh won today and he knew what he was he was always like nah no I didn't think you would have won today and then you know

15:06Sir Jim Ratcliffe:you feel so much yeah that was so clever of him because i think a lot of parents find that conversation tough that going home from the race or the match conversation when maybe the outcome hasn't been what they you know the kid hoped it would be when you go into it with olympic gold on the line when you go into a tour de france are you still thinking just do your best or or has it

15:28Geraint Thomas:changed at that stage because there is then pressure no it was always the same because like it was always the same process really without even thinking about it I was doing the same mental like preparation so to speak before every race you know and the way I went into like a race in Maine was similar to how I went into it in Beijing which kind of feels mad at the Olympics because I was just and especially when you're feeling good and you know you've ticked all the boxes on the way to that point and you've done everything you can then you're like well you know this is the fun bit now one of the other things that's interesting that

16:01Sir Jim Ratcliffe:worked from kind of young rider to professional was, and I didn't realize this, was how you didn't always get the best equipment until the very end of the process. So by the time you get to a major championship, you've been training on stuff that's heavier and harder. So when you're fit and feeling brilliant, you're on the best bike. And that kind of happened in your childhood as well, didn't it?

16:23Geraint Thomas:Yeah, yeah, yeah. And psychologically as well, then when you come to the big event and you just, for instance in 2012 the world championships were in March and then the Olympics obviously in June, July and we beat Australians in Melbourne with our tatty kit basically like helmets with little cracks in and like our training skin suits and they had their full Olympic kit, full dress rehearsal and we beat them narrowly by less than a tenth of a second I think it was but they knew what we had to come as well and I think that's where we won those Olympics was in March in Melbourne really was that deliberate or did it just happen or was the order delayed yeah yeah but could you have had your all singing all dancing kit or was it deliberately oh it was always deliberate yeah it was always a thing the british cycling did they're the one percent aren't they that dave

17:11Sir Jim Ratcliffe:brailsford became famous for that is that is right there what was going on funny enough like yeah

17:17Geraint Thomas:that's what my dad's that's what my dad did as well you know he was always i don't know whenever I was training and he would like, like I used to put weights on my bike and all sorts and just to make training harder. And then you'd go to a race and you'd have no weights on your bike and maybe a nicer set of wheels or whatever. And that's always how I've done stuff for you. What was that period, the British cycling period under Dave Brailsford going from underdogs maybe to them being the team to be absolutely shot at by the rest of the world? I loved it. the underdog bit or the being shot there to be shot at bit both really the underdog bit of like you know proving what we could do and which we did in beijing and then being the ones at the top and like yeah we're like here for a reason you know we we deserve to be here let's go out and show what we can do and it was that sort of attitude and it's kind of like i'm kind of similar to cav in that i've got a similar sort of confidence and belief in myself but cav walks around like conor mcgregor and we'll tell everyone whereas i i keep that to myself and i just have that inside but you still have that and i think being like you know so laid back and a bit sort of like blasé about stuff now i think people get the wrong impression of me sometimes when it comes to that

18:36Sir Jim Ratcliffe:but they think you're not as serious as you are yeah yeah yeah yeah i think when it came to

18:41Geraint Thomas:training and stuff i'd never i'd never miss a day you'd always do more and you're always fully focused on what I had to do but then I'm with the diet and everything but then when there was time to enjoy yourself I would and I didn't take myself too seriously so the buzz the mental buzz then and the knowledge you have it can't just go to waste can it what are you going to do with

19:03Sir Jim Ratcliffe:all your experience and and your energy in terms of cycling yeah so with that I'm very close to

19:11Geraint Thomas:confirming it with the team now using that experience and knowledge basically to help the boys really be that sort of, it'll be a new role so it's kind of figuring out where exactly it fits but it's using that knowledge to help them prepare for their goals, execute the goals and working alongside coaches and the DSs tactically and being kind of a go-between between management and the riders because most of the things that they'll be going through I would have gone through at some point and have a good relationship with them as well so I think they could probably be more open to me maybe than you know some of the staff on the team or whatever so it's exciting though it'll keep me involved in the real nitty-gritty of it because that's what that's what I loved you know when you get off the when you get onto the bus after a stage and you're kind of like debriefing the race it's kind of like after a big night out you know when you've got those everyone's got their own little story about what happened and do you see that guy and like yeah that's that's the bit and that real like race inside next time on a i'm on a big night out the following morning i think this is just like being on the tour de france i'll flip it i'll flip it the other way right it's um is it a so is it like a director of cycling role or are you kind of like going to go in a assistant manager role where where there you are that buffer between riders and and management yeah yeah i think it's more sort of in that the management but on their side rather than being right a suit yeah yeah yeah being yeah wearing a track suit not a not a suit yeah be there on the ground and yeah just helping the boys out and like just yeah and making sure that it's all like aligned as well because you know in cycling as we said it's so individual because you've got to be in the peak physical performance but you're part of a team and you need to yeah perform for somebody else or you know you have people riding for you and it's easy to sort of become isolated almost and you know going in your own direction but it's not where the team needs you to be type of thing so it's making sure you the coach is on the same wavelength as the rider and the ds is the the tacticians and that and the nutrition and anything else is just going wrong like your home environment and there's a lot going

21:24Sir Jim Ratcliffe:on it is now a huge industry it's a massive it's had a massive boom over the last 20 years you guys winning Olympic golds in the way you did the culture of the sport has changed hasn't it you must see that with the young riders kind of coming through now yeah massively and just even the sport

21:41Geraint Thomas:like it's so much more data driven and you know I'm still wearing this ring like I don't even know why that's not your wedding ring is it no no this is like a sleep a sleep ring and stuff which uh yeah I got it just to keep the coaches off my back because then they just automatically uploaded onto my training people they can see it and whatever but yeah like as you say that there's been that cycling boom like everyone is so much more aware of cycling now it's a big Olympic sport in the UK the roadside has obviously you know been really good as well with the success we've had and there's a lot of young good good guys coming through but yeah like all the data and stuff and the way I do feel old sometimes when I speak to some of the boys like Josh Tarlin who's 21 22 from Aberaeron in Wales and some of the things he comes out with I'm just like mate

22:34Sir Jim Ratcliffe:at the moment there there's obviously this season in the Vuelta there was disruption with protesters on the route and it affects the final stage and one of the great things about that and the Tour de France is the way the crowds can get so close do you think this is going to affect what's happened there is going to affect future tours on the road yeah hopefully not because

22:53Geraint Thomas:obviously the protests and stuff is a complicated area but i think purely as an athlete you just want to race your bike do what you do safely and that's it really but the accessibility that the sport has is what makes it so great and so unique you know when you're going up albadoes like guys have been there camping for two days like drunk off their heads but it's just amazing the atmosphere but obviously it's a bit dodgy as well if they start running alongside you they got bags and flags and then it is a bit like this is you know just be sensible about it but you get such a buzz off that like i think that that's probably the one thing i will miss as well like like alp d 'huez is just insane like in the tour like some of those mountains it's unbelievable just how close you can get as fans you know even at the start of the race at the end of the race in training people can just come up and ride well if they can they can ride alongside you for a while or not but i think it's that's what makes cycling so great do you have to prepare your do you have to sort of prepare yourself to anticipate somebody jumping out yeah you kind of have to just be naive in a way to just be like right this guy's not going to be too silly yeah um because there is only one or two that run alongside you but you know if they do trip over it could be but fortunately i haven't really had anything too crazy like that but um just when i won one guy did try to grab my shoulder on top of one of the mountains but luckily just yeah just brushed him off type thing but um i don't see how how the sport bearing in mind what it is how it can stop an overexcited fan or a protesting person i don't i don't see how it can no not when it's like 180 200k a to b stages like and you know unless you start having circuits and i think circuits are the way forward it's just you know as a spectator at least you get to see it three or four times rather than the tour you could be stood in a village for hours and then like one minute boom we're all past and that's it so at least circuits is a bit better for spectators and safer you know the guys will know the circuit you can make sure it's cleaned or whatever and so maybe that will become more a thing do you think it will i think so i think it's better all around you know you can do a bit more corporate stuff and get more money in the sport that way as well and as i say just purely to go out and watch it so instead of a 200 mile stage from a to b you have a 50 mile circuit that you do four times.

25:25Geraint Thomas:Yeah, yeah, or like, yeah, 50k to the circuit and then you do three or four laps or whatever.

25:31Sir Jim Ratcliffe:Chris Froome obviously rides for Israel Premier Tech, which was the team that was being protested against by pro-Palestinian protesters. What did he say about those protesters?

25:40Geraint Thomas:I haven't actually spoke to him. He wasn't at that race, but, you know, I spoke to some of the boys, not from Israel Premier Tech, but just from, that were at the race, and they said it was just a bit, well it was just a bit unsafe they were just some of them were scared really because you know you're coming down you don't know you're going 60 70k an hour down a mountain and there can be some guy like one guy did try and run out in front of them so yeah that's but it's like you're saying how you can't police that like you just hope that could kill both of them yeah well yeah it's crazy really like i get i get the whole protest about anything is is fine isn't it but as long as it's the right way.

26:23Sir Jim Ratcliffe:Yeah. Let's talk a little bit about Ineos and what it's like in that kind of whole Ineos hierarchy. And, you know, obviously, from a football perspective, a lot more interest in Ineos over the last couple of years since Jim Ratcliffe's taken over Manchester United. His first big foray into sport was cycling, obviously. I mean, he's since done sailing and he's done sub-two-hour marathons with Ineos. What is it like, that whole group?

26:51Geraint Thomas:It was different to Sky in the way that they wanted to just be more involved and understand what was going on and things. But I think it was just unfortunate that when they come into the cycling team, it was towards the end of our reign, so to speak. Because, you know, in sport, it's hard to stay at the top for forever. You know, it always comes in cycles and they came in just as Pogacar came on the scene. And, you know, we won our first tour with Ineos, but then after that it was, well, we didn't. we had a bit of other success like you know I was like on the podiums and stuff but we weren't winning which was tough and then Dave obviously moved away a bit I think he'd sort of was maybe a bit fatigued with it already you know he'd been to every Grand Tour for about 11 years I think so you know that's 33 Grand Tours from the start to finish it's a bit it's intense you know so yeah it was it was a difficult time but you know as a rider i just worried about myself really kept doing my own thing as sort of i always have in my own little world and was still able to perform but you know now it's definitely on the way up and you just want to get back to the top that's where you want and for your new role if you had i don't maybe you didn't need to seek them i don't know but if you had reassurances that they are in cycling that their attentions haven't been completely taken over by football yeah yeah they still like i know jim on a personal level um sir jim sorry is uh just to go out on the bike with for an hour or two and he just loves cycling and stuff like i don't really get too involved in the football side or you know even the running of the team almost it's more just you know as a rider he just he's passionate about it that's for sure i can't really speak for inios but i feel like they're they're involved for the next few years for sure but i just want to see the team back at the top and that's it's quite exciting time almost because you know dave's coming back more involved in the team and as a team principal and it's just an exciting time ahead the next time you go on the bike ride on the football side of things i can give you some notes to pass on he's um he's a sub four hour

29:07Sir Jim Ratcliffe:marathon runner as well so i know you said you want to do london marathon um that might be a challenge to uh you know to race alongside him in that one but i'm pretty sure you'll be sub three with your engine yeah surely golf will come i mean it always does with every ex-sportsman doesn't it is that not a kind of potential obsession on the horizon yeah i'd like to i'd like i've had one

29:26Geraint Thomas:lesson i'd like maybe a couple more just so i could get around the golf course but did you did you take to it immediately after one lesson oh i was good yeah yeah yeah yeah for sure but um no I just yeah I'd love to do that or a bit of paddle or you know just do other things that's what I'm looking forward to doing as well

29:44Sir Jim Ratcliffe:Andy Murray obviously had his interesting first foray into skiing post tennis when he got rescued off the mountain

29:49Geraint Thomas:oh really I didn't didn't hear about that yeah but yeah we've booked our first skiing holiday as well as a family we're going in January to help to us actually of all places and this is where just massage my ego yeah but no yeah never been on skis before never never wow so i'll be in ski school with my son and his cousins you'll be pretty good i

30:11Sir Jim Ratcliffe:imagine with your balance you'll take to that pretty good i think you're right we'll see yeah well do tell us if you get rescued off the mountain have you set a target time for the

30:21Geraint Thomas:marathon no not the minute but i'm trying to like not get too carried away and just do because everyone's told me take it easy because the impact and stuff like riding a bike you don't Yeah, your joints and things. But sub three seems to be the golden thing. Yeah, you do sub three. Yeah, it's just like...

30:39Sir Jim Ratcliffe:You get on BBC One if you do sub three.

30:42Geraint Thomas:Do you? Yeah, that's a big incentive for you. Or you do sub five and they take pity on you and stay on, which is what they did for me. We got you on BBC Two. Change channels. I'm sorry my life, that, Gabby. Crikey. The problem is for me, though, my brother is quite a good runner. I think he's like 226 or something Oh my god So that's going to wind me up Oh golly He's four years younger than me though I'll always have that as an excuse I can't see myself going that quick But in the back of your head You're thinking it though I'm thinking fasted

31:23Geraint Thomas:Can't win them all can you And the book according to G Is out now Thank you Pleasure Thanks for having me

31:34Geraint Thomas:okay before we go i'm a bit insulted why they've only put you here the producers as the question but anyhow would gabby win a point against a tennis pro why am i not included the sports agents the sports agents with gabby logan and mark chapman

31:56Sir Jim Ratcliffe:yeah you asked the question before the break would i win a point against a tennis pro we're not in some kind of fantasy land here. We're not, you know, this is an actual thing, Chappers, that could potentially happen. Not for me, because I'll be a long way away from it. But it's this, it seems gimmicky, to be honest. It seems like a, you know, another way of, I don't know, just trying to attract a different audience to a sport. The Australian Open has got this amateurs versus professional competition. Now you see this in golf, obviously, quite a lot, don't you, the pro-ams that happen. This is the$1 million one-point slam.

32:29Sir Jim Ratcliffe:so you play one point against a professional and that's all you have to do you have to win one point and that's all you have to do is just win that one point and then you keep going through the rounds 490 000 pounds if you win the whole thing which is only 50 000 more than players get

32:45Geraint Thomas:for reaching the australian open semi-final that's that's the ridiculous summer money that's available i wonder do you serve or does the you must serve mustn't you i am not going anywhere

32:57Sir Jim Ratcliffe:near this so when you say you you mean generally yes remember the public must serve you can't yeah you can't I mean if they're serving at you game over I would assume I once did I mean this

33:08Geraint Thomas:has got nothing to do with tennis but I used to do the on pitch kind of interval entertainment in the cricket in one day internationals and we were at Trent Bridge and they offered £50 ,000 if anybody could bowl, hit three stumps, then take away one of the stumps and hit two stumps, and then take away that one and hit one stump. And they bought out six people to do this. Five people had a go and missed on the three stumps. And they brought a bloke out from corporate who had like posh shoes on. And he came off a normal run-up, because I think the normal thing will be just to come off a short run-up and just try and hit it.

33:49Geraint Thomas:He came off a normal run-up and hit the three stumps. And he had a slight smell of maybe having a couple of glasses of wine during the first hit. Right? He took the ball. He bowled again. He hit the two stumps. The umpire was from the insurance company of whoever the sponsor was at the time. A cider company, I think. By this stage, he'd hit the two stumps and the whole place was, like, fixed. The England balcony was stood watching, was stood watching, not preparing for the game. They were stood there. Johnny Bairstow was doing some wicketkeeper drills and stopped to, like, come and watch this.

34:25Geraint Thomas:So the whole crowd were watching on the big screen, and the guy, in his full kind of suit with his shoes on again, came and bowled at one stump and hit it. The place went absolutely... He jumped on me. The place went berserk. Johnny Bairstow kind of did a little run around, like, celebrate. I looked on the England balcony. One of the players was like whirling their shirt around the head and he won 50 grand. And the only person in the whole ground who had a face like thunder was the guy from the insurance company.

34:56Sir Jim Ratcliffe:I bet you they tried this out with about 100 people and nobody had managed to do it. It's a bit like the old hole in ones at the golf days where you win a Jaguar or something, isn't it? And I've never seen anybody win anything.

35:06Geraint Thomas:It was amazing. So I kind of like the idea. My only thing with it is you said gimmicky. I feel like every major tennis tournament is trying to come up with something.

35:16Sir Jim Ratcliffe:Something, yeah. Obviously, in the US, there was the mixed doubles that changed and came the week before. The one that will never change anything is Wimbledon. Don't you worry about that. There won't be like a Porsche on show at the end of the court for somebody who can win 10 aces in a row or something. That ain't happening at Wimbledon.

35:35Geraint Thomas:I can't even get the players into coloured clothing. I think it'll be a long time before there's a Porsche parked on centre court.

35:42Sir Jim Ratcliffe:Or any other brand of car. Yes, absolutely. Make sure you subscribe or follow so you don't miss Friday's Q &A. I was just about to think of another question for that, actually, which could be the best gimmick for attracting new audiences to a tennis tournament. We're going to answer all of your questions, well, as many as we can. And remember, you can always get in touch with us via the sportsagentsatglobal.com or on our social media or the link in the show notes.

36:07Geraint Thomas:Thanks for listening. This has been a Global Player original production.