Geraint Thomas set to sign new Team Sky deal and eyeing Giro d'Italia after Wales welcome home Tour winner

The 32-year-old won the Tour by nearly two minutes to become only the third Briton to win the famous maillot jaune, and the first from Wales

Geraint Thomas is set to sign a new contract at Team Sky following his Tour de France triumph, and has set his sights on winning next year’s Giro d’Italia.

The 32-year-old won the Tour by nearly two minutes to become only the third Briton to win the famous maillot jaune, and the first from Wales.

He was “blown away” by the 8,000 people who came out to welcome him back to Cardiff on Thursday, and said that he hoped to sign a new contract imminently.

“We are incredibly close [to a new deal] and I am happy where I am,” Thomas said. “It’s all about working things through and at the moment it’s progressing well. In the very near future we will have it all done.

“I’m happy with the team and we are working very well together. I’ve grown up within the Sky system and I’ve known guys like Dave Brailsford since I was 17. Without them, I wouldn’t be where I am now.

“There are lots of very good teams out there. I wanted to hear what they had to say, and it was nice to have a lot of great offers, but hopefully things will be done in the next day or so.”

More than 3,000 packed into the bay area where Thomas was greeted by first minister Carwyn Jones.

“In politics you spend a lot of time selling Wales to the world and Geraint has done more in 21 days than I could’ve done in 21 years,” said Jones.

The victory was celebrated in the city with a 10ft-high graffiti mural showing Thomas punching the air in his yellow jersey, painted on the wall of the Maindy Leisure Centre close to where his cycling journey began.