The Tour of Britain Men could finish in Cardiff this September to pay tribute to Geraint Thomas, in what is set to be his final race for Ineos Grenadiers.
The event is likely to finish in the Welsh capital, directly beneath Cardiff Castle, and pass close by to the outdoor velodrome, home of Maindy Flyers Cycling Club - the first club the 2018 Tour de France winner joined when starting out in the sport in his home city. Negotiations are understood to still be ongoing with local authorities regarding the exact nature of the 2025 route, however.
Speaking at the time of his retirement announcement, Thomas said on his Watts Occurring podcast that he hoped the Tour of Britain race director, Rod Ellingworth, could orchestrate a grand exit for him on his final professional outing. The duo have maintained a close relationship since working together on the British Cycling academy, which later continued when Ellingworth joined Ineos Grenadiers.
"If you could pick anything then it would be finishing on home roads and the Tour of Britain is exactly that," Thomas said. "Rod [Ellingworth], who's my old coach from the academy, then obviously he was part of [Team] Sky for so many years, he's the race director there as well. So I've asked him to pull a few favours, possibly go into Wales for the final stage, possibly Cardiff city centre outside the castle, that would be awesome."
As well as finishing beneath the castle, the race organisation are said to be working on a passage over nearby Caerphilly Mountain - last used in the Tour of Britain in 2023 - before venturing into Cardiff.
Race director Ellingworth did little to deny speculation regarding the Cardiff route when speaking to Velo recently: "There's a few little challenges but the final part will be dead exciting and I think there'll be some really good racing. As Geraint is retiring, I think it will be a brilliant finish for him."
Sources also told CW that the Tour of Britain Men is likely to be used as an opportunity to test potential routes for the 2027 Tour de France Grand Départ in the UK - the final day into Cardiff could be one of the stages potentially used by ASO, the Tour de France's organisers, during the race's visit to Britain.
Little is currently publicly confirmed regarding the Grand Départ, other than that the race will begin in Edinburgh. It is understood that ASO could potentially use Britain's biggest elite men's race as an opportunity to trial a proposed course in a similar way to how the Critérium du Dauphiné does so for the Tour. ASO were approached for comment but did not respond.
A spokesperson for British Cycling said: "We'll be announcing details of the Lloyds Tour of Britain Men's stages soon and look forward to sharing all of the official route news with excited fans.”
