Tour de France 2018: Geraint Thomas pinpoints win on iconic Alpe d’Huez as most unforgettable moment

Geraint Thomas pinpointed his victory on the iconic Alpe d’Huez as the standout moment of his Tour de France triumph. The Team Sky rider finishing third on Saturday’s stage 20 time trial to ensure he will earn the yellow jersey after Sunday’s neutralised race to Paris, and said his success on stage 12 will live long in the memory.

“Alps d’Huez was probably the most I suffered,” Thomas said. “To win there in the yellow jersey was just insane. I didn’t expect it. That day was just about following the guys in front. That will always stay with me, it was incredible.”

The Welshman was emotional at the finish and seemed to still be processing the reality of reaching the pinnacle of the sport, admitting he had avoided thinking about victory until after Friday’s thrilling stage 19 in the Pyrénées.

“It was emotional [at the end]. I didn’t know my wife was here either which kind of made it worse. I had just been staying focused, day by day, climb by climb, and suddenly it was done it and that wall came down. I was welling up every time I hugged anyone for about 20 minutes after the end.

“Truly I was thinking day by day. The last mountain stage was incredible, such a fight. I just followed Tom [Dumoulin] like poo on a shoe. I won’t celebrate too much tonight because Champs-Élysées is hard, it’s always one of the hardest stages. I think we’ve got some burgers but I won’t celebrate too much. We’ll save the celebrations for Paris.”

The victory means Team Sky have now won six of the past seven Tours de France and all of the past four grand tours, something which has brought criticism of a lack of competition.

“I’m quite happy with that situation,” said Thomas. “Not a problem. It’s been a great race. Obviously we’re strong, all the team is strong in their own credit. There are always going to be haters but we work hard. It’s not just the legs but the head where we succeed.”

Thomas thanked Chris Froome, who finished third overall, for his support during the latter stages of the race, and Froome said he was proud of his team-mate’s achievement and that standing on the podium together would be a “dream scenario” after so much animosity from the roadside during the Tour.

“When there is negativity It brings us together as a team,” said Froome. “I definitely felt that with the riders. We bonded faster this year. It feels as if we're out against the world. It was amazing how the team pulled through, especially when off the bike it’s been more difficult than it has been previously. You can choose to let it get to you or you can choose to let it motivate you, for us it was a motivation.”