5. Geraint Thomas
5. Geraint Thomas
When Geraint Thomas fractured his pelvis in a crash on stage one of the 2013 Tour de France, few would have blamed the Team Sky man for throwing the towel in.
But they make them tough in Wales and, despite having to be helped onto his bike each morning, Thomas not only went on to ride the entire race, but also make a valuable contribution in support of team-mate and eventual champion Chris Froome.
When given the opportunity, Thomas has also established a reputation as one of the most versatile and resilient riders in the current peloton, with the 28-year-old another of Team Sky’s leading lights at the Classics.
Third at E3-Harelbeke last year and with top tens at both the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix, Thomas has been in fantastic form over the last 18 months, and has enjoyed a fine start to 2015 by winning the Volta a Algarve stage race.
But Thomas’ ‘toughest’ triumph came at the 2014 Commonwealth Games, when he swapped his Team Sky jersey for the Welsh dragon and overcame biblical weather conditions in Glasgow to solo to victory on a day when only 12 riders finished the race.
Career highlights: Commonwealth Games road race winner (2014), regular top-ten finisher in the cobbled Classics, sealed the third stage race win of his career at this year’s Volta ao Algarve.