Geraint Thomas seal the first title of the Tour de France with the Paris parade | sport

Never, surely, a champagne flute was as sweet as that which Geraint Thomas enjoyed on the road to Paris. Because he confirmed that winning the yellow jersey, which had seemed such an empty dream, was now a lucid reality. Before reaching the podium, Welshman, 32, promised a party that would last "two weeks or even a month." The glint in his eye suggested that he was not joking.

It was a meticulously planned victory of the Tour de France but also a bit accidental. Even after the Welsh left Chris Froome to win step 12, he was honest as to his place in the hierarchy of Team Sky, saying to himself "maybe a little more than a pawn ".

Ten days later He rode like a conquering king on the Champs-Elysees before returning in force as Alexander Kristoff took a vigorous disputed sprint.

For years Thomas was best known as a phenomenal runner. Then, slowly, he made the transition to pretending and loyal domestic clbadics at Froome. But little expected that it would become a mountain goat capable of gaining two stages in the Alps. No wonder he was a 14-1 outsider with bookmakers three weeks ago.

Thomas was prepared for his first big round by weighing 67.6kg – 10st 9lb – the lightest of his career, not a feat at 6ft 1in grand. He also had three training camps in Mallorca and practiced the Saturday time trial in advance, in the expectation that it might be crucial.

Luck has also played its part. Froome and Tom Dumoulin, who were on heavy legs after the Giro D 'Italia, lost time after the first accidents. Richie Porte, another competitor, had to give up after breaking his shoulder.

Still, there was a crucial shift in the spirit of Team Sky, too. In the past, Thomas would have had to retreat to help Froome when the four-time winner of the Tour crashed on the first leg, losing 51 seconds. Not this time. "I was granted my freedom," explained the Welshman. "It was not as if I had to work for him as a servant." Of course, the guys were looking for Froomey, while I was the head of the stockpile, but it was clear that I was not sure. I would not have to sit down if I felt good and Froomey bad, and then, as the race went on, she managed anyway. "

And how? The plan of Team Sky had been to see how the stages of the Alps went and let the road decide. Yet even when Thomas led by 1min 39sec with a week remaining, they kept faith with Froome – aware of the Welsh's reputation of crushing and having days of madness. Instead, it's Froome who has cracked in the Pyrenees, whispering to his team that he "did not feel great" on the Col du Portet and that this was causing a quick change of custody.

But everyone did not see it. Sunday's team had a front page photo of Thomas and Froome kissing with severe headline The Endless Regne or "The Endless Kingdom". The verdict inside was hardly more enthusiastic. "The victory of Thomas will not reconcile the skeptics of the Sky, any more than to ask Donald Trump to rally to the theories of the climate change," he warns.

As to whether Thomas's performance could be believed, he sat resolutely on the fence. "There are those who do not understand how Thomas waited to be 32 years old to crush everyone in the mountains, but there are others that point to a multi-level career – Olympic titles , a pbadage on the road that saw him win Paris-Nice and the Dauphine – and begin to believe in his quality in major tours. "

meanwhile, lamented the six victories" boring " from Team Sky in seven years and said that this was due to his financial power and the application of figures. "Cycling has become mathematical," writes the newspaper. "And Sky are the strongest in maths. It's terrible. "

There will be some who will reject this as green grapes. Maybe part of it is. But it would be as narrow minded British fans to launder the long and legitimate criticisms of Team Sky.

After all, it is only in March that the digital, cultural, media and sports committee accused Sky of being "unethical".

There are also unanswered questions about testosterone delivered at the Manchester Velodrome, which British Cycling and Team Sky have shared, while a Team Sky doctor is still under investigation. investigation of the General Medical Council. This is also not a good look when the former US Postal Lance Armstrong is still in charge of the Team Sky service in Belgium.

Still, it's hard not to warm Thomas, who remained the pressure was the greatest during this Tour. Given the current climate, it may be helpful that he does not suffer from asthma, that he has never had a TUE and that he is either broke the hip at the 2013 Tour by insisting on nothing stronger than ibuprofen.

In 2008, his team Barloworld His colleague Moises Duenas was arrested for the EPO, he also denounced doping in the strongest possible terms. "If someone is fraudulent in a company, would not he risk a jail sentence?", He said. "I do not see how runners take drugs to win races and lie to their teams, hit them and throw away the key."

These words are encouraging, especially in a sport like cycling, which – by his past – remains on parole.

Meanwhile, Rod Ellingworth, Team Sky's performance director, at 32 Thomas has a lot more in the tank. "He really has the full package and he has matured over the last two years and took it, "he said smiling." And he's still quite ambitious, too. "