Geraint Thomas wins the tour: no scratches – sports

• Geraint Thomas finishes third in the time trial and will win the Tour de France tomorrow in Paris
• Upon arrival, he is overwhelmed by his feelings – he says that he does not want to go out. has not thought of a Tour victory yet.
• He is the only driver who completed the Tour de France without weakness

Geraint Thomas could have been quite imprudent in those days gone by. Until recently, it was so beautifully run for the British, as he could have obtained advice in advance, how well to celebrate such a victory in the Tour de France. Where do you dine in Paris, after the award ceremony on the Champs-Elysées? Which national television show is the best place to shine – "Strictly Come Dancing" or rather "The Jump", a breathtaking winter sports show that beat the first winner of the British tour, Bradley Wiggins ? Maybe that would be enough for a climb to the Knights' Hall, Sir Geraint Thomas, it sounds good.

But Thomas did not let his head turn his head in anticipation nowadays. The 32-year-old, after the 19th stage on Friday night, once again said, "I'm still in my bladder, because I do not want to keep my eyes off the ball these past few days." And indeed: Thomas also denied the 20th stage, the only time trial on Saturday, as calm, stressful and weatherproof as the previous 19 stages

He was third in the daily standings, seconds from winner Tom Dumoulin and teammate Christopher Froome. It was enough to defend the yellow jersey. Thomas will also wear it in Paris on the last day of Sunday's closing, where the chef will no longer be attacked – that's the tradition. Geraint Thomas, 32, of Cardiff, will be the first Welsh and third Briton after Wiggins and Froome to win the Tour de France. "I can not put that in words," Thomas said on arrival. "I still can not believe it, it's impressive, so far I have not thought about the whole race, but now I can say it: I won the tour, guy!" Said Thomas, his voice being heard: Just when the tears came: "The last time I cried was at my wedding, I have no idea what happened to me . "

Saturday's test was again crisp, three hills and a little less than a final long ramp of more than one kilometer, spread over 31 kilometers between Saint-Pee-sur- Nivelle and Espelette. Thomas brought a comfortable two-minute buffer to his pursuers, but he was right behind. Dumoulin, current world champion against the clock, was only 19 seconds ahead of Primoz Roglic, the former Slovenian ski jumper, also talented for the time trial and who had surprised the mountain during this tour. He won the final stage across the Pyrenees on Friday, beating defending champion defeated Christopher Froome in fourth place.

Froome began Saturday as hard as his last days of weakness. He threw himself into the raids at risk, during the first interim, he overtook Roglic in the standings. Meanwhile, Thomas slid the rear wheel out of a right turn, he was almost catapulted from the bike like a rodeo rider, but he caught up again. And he was fast: best time at the first intermediate mark, 15 seconds before Froome. So he stayed at the second interval; Roglic now loses more and more time, its strong presence in the mountains has probably cost a lot of strength. At the finish, Dumoulin surpbaded Froome's fastest time by a lean second, so second place for the overall Dutchman. After all, Froome grabbed third place overall from Roglic, who lost Saturday just 1:14 minutes from the Tour Champion four times. Simon Geschke, Dumoulin's teammate in the Sunweb team, was named Best German 18.

When Thomas arrived in Espelette as the last, without taking the last chance, he opened his arms in relief. His competitors had fallen in the last few weeks (Rigoberto Uran), severely broken (Romain Bardet), slowed down by flaws (Dumoulin) or moved behind him in the second limb (Froome) – Thomas had never really shown weakness, he drove without claws into the scales in Paris.

The new leader was also received with doubts over the weekend with all appreciation, that Zweiklang has thus accompanied almost every triumph in the tour in recent years. What could he say to all the allegations and cases of his Team Sky that had already stained the victories of Wiggins and Froomes? "I know we do not break any rules and work hard," said Thomas, "I know my result will stand the test of time." Then he listed the strength of his teammates, the mental resilience of his team, the hard work, that was all. "I can not say anything more about it," said Thomas Thomas.

So, Sunday, he actually goes to Paris in yellow, at the latest when the bubble that surrounded Thomas until the end will burst. "That," he had already suspected on Friday, "is a huge shock."