Thomas retires, Evenepoel takes queen stage plus second overall in Tour of Britain.
Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick-Step) on the podium with Tour of Britain winner Romain Gregoire and third-placed rider Julian Alaphilippe (Photo: Alex Livesey/Getty Images)
Published September 7, 2025 03:15PM
As one star is on the rise, another one stops. Geraint Thomas finally called it a day on his pro career on Sunday, rolling in to huge applause at the end of the last stage of the Tour of Britain, while Remco Evenepoel is heading towards the world championships with momentum.
Evenepoel has thrice taken elite world titles, winning the road race in 2022 and taking the time trial in the two years since then.
And while he didn’t get the GC win he was aiming for on Sunday, he ended the Tour of Britain with a big smile on his face.
The Soudal Quick-Step rider looked relaxed and happy on the final podium in what could be his final stage race with the Wolfopack, soaking up his second place behind Romain Grégoire (Groupama-FDJ) and relishing good form again.
Evenepoel was rather more unhappy when he was last seen at a bike race, being emotional as he climbed off his bike and into a team car on stage 14 of the Tour de France.
Doored while out training in the winter and forced to spend a long time off the bike, he took some decent results after his return in April, but never really found his usual form.
Evenepoel lacked a decent base and while there were wins here and there, including his time trial success on stage 5 of the Tour, he was soon on the back foot in that race.
Stopping was hard, but getting going again has been encouraging.
“I’m pretty happy with the outcome, because it’s more or less the maximum I could take out of this race,” he said on Sunday.
“Maybe on stage four it could have turned different for me, but we should be happy as I made my return to competition after a long period. I gave absolutely everything here and I would have loved to leave with a GC win, but in the end, I am content with my results and with the teamwork we put in this week.”
‘Delighted with this outcome’
Evenepoel won on The Tumble ahead of Visma’s Thomas Gloag (Photo: Alex Livesey/Getty Images)
Evenepoel’s reference to stage four was a nod to missing out on the uphill finish at Burton Dassett. He was well-positioned as the sprint unfolded but had problems with his gears and lost momentum, being swamped by other riders.
Gregoire won ahead of Julian Alaphilippe; Evenepoel and the rest of the front group finished two seconds back, his exact deficit in the GC at the end of the race.
Saturday was better. The stage finished at the top of The Tumble climb and he rode aggressively. He surged with 1.6km to go, but a headwind made things difficult. While the other riders were able to get back to him, he put in a huge and successful sprint to the line.
“It’s a win that makes me happy, especially as it wasn’t easy today,” he said afterwards.
There was however, one hiccup: a fine of 100 Swiss francs plus a deduction of 10 UCI points. Commissaires penalized him for brake testing another rider, a penalty he and his team accepted.
The victory made up for that, needless to say.
“I know that after a tough day and a hard climb, I still have a good sprint, so I just focused on my sprint, tried it and went out with the win, which is good. We are delighted with this outcome, and on Sunday we’ll try to see if we can win the general classification, which would be nice.”
He indeed tried that on the concluding stage, but despite attacks on the ascent of Caerphilly and again on the descent, he couldn’t get a gap. The race ended in a bunch sprint won by Olav Kooij (Visma-Lease a Bike). Evenepoel finished two seconds behind Gregoire in second overall.
Instead of being disappointed, he could see a very big upside.
“It was a strong outing and an important morale-boost before the world championships,” he explained.
There’s a bigger target ahead and, having done extra training rides on three days of the Tour of Britain, he’s going in precisely the right direction.
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‘The atmosphere was insane’
Thomas with his son on the final stage of the Tour of Britain (Photo: Alex Livesey/Getty Images)
For Thomas, there are no more competitive targets. His engine is aging and his ambition is fading. He finally called it a day on his pro career on Sunday, rolling in to huge applause at the end of the last stage of the Tour of Britain.
The Welshman didn’t figure in the GC of the race, finishing back in 80th overall and with a best stage placing of 61st, but that didn’t matter: it was more a lap of honor after a very successful two decades in the bunch.
Thomas won the Tour de France in 2018. He also took the 2016 Paris-Nice, the 2017 Tour of the Alps, the 2018 Critérium du Dauphiné, the 2021 Tour de Romandie and the 2022 Tour de Suisse.
Throw in his E3 Harelbeke win back in 2015, plus his second overall in the 2019 Tour and 2023 Giro d’Italia, and that’s a big, big career.
“The fans and everything, the support I’ve had over the years is incredible,” he said after the final stage, which ended in his hometown of Cardiff.
“To finish here is like full circle, where it all started. There is no better way.”
Known for his wry sense of humor, Thomas has been a favorite with many fans. He’s now 39 years of age, and while his results have been ebbing in the past two seasons, his considerable career success plus his many years in the sport mean the decision to finally walk away is a significant one.
The fans will miss him, and so they turned out in their droves to say goodbye.
Thomas’ face was everywhere courtesy of the fans and a peculiar handout (Photo: Alex Livesey/Getty Images)
“It’s unreal,” he told Eurosport, reflecting on the reception he got. “The atmosphere riding in, and up Caerphilly mountain. A lot of the years I’ve been racing, but especially today and yesterday, it was insane. Just riding through here then, the amount of people going nuts.
“It’s mad that people care that much to see me doing well as what I do, really. It just meant so much. What can I say? What a way to finish.”
‘It’s definitely emotional’
Thomas’ career was celebrated by others in the peloton (Photo: Alex Livesey/Getty Images)
Thomas had a fine sendoff from his fellow riders. Before the stage they formed a guard of honor, lining up with their front wheels elevated in a symbolic gesture. It was identical to that enjoyed by Mark Cavendish last season when he too ended his career.
At the end of the stage, several riders in his group rolled and applauded him, with the crowd also showing their appreciation.
“It was emotional across the line. I was riding through all the fans, I was just almost choking up riding my bike, which was weird,” he said. “And to cross the line with Swifty [Ben Swift], who I’ve raced with since we were 12. It all came out then.
“It’s definitely emotional. It’s super special. I’ve been saying since the route was announced that to finish here is just unbelievable, really.”
So what’s next for the Welshman?
He’s widely expected to be part of the Ineos Grenadiers management structure next season but, before then, he’s got normal life to catch up on.
He’s planned a party in Cardiff on Sunday evening, need to bring his son to school on Tuesday and will then attend his brother’s stag party in Portugal.
He’s looking forward to a bit of normality.
After two decades in the peloton, complete with lengthy training camps, extensive traveling and multiple days of competition each year, some time to recharge and put the feet up is definitely warranted.
And Evenepoel? He’s a long, long way from that point, and still has major targets to pursue. Normal life can wait.