Geraint Thomas has admitted that the magnitude of his Tour de France triumph will take some time to sink in after becoming the third British cyclist in seven years to win the race.
The 32-year-old Welshman crossed the line on the Champs Elysees in Paris on Sunday evening to confirm first place, finishing one minute and 57 seconds in front of closest challenger Tom Dumoulin.
Eleven years on from his first taste of the event, Thomas struggled to come to terms with his victory as he reflected on the most memorable few weeks of his career.
"When I rode the Champs Elysees for the first time in 2007 that was insane just to finish the race and just to be a part of it," he told ITV Sport. "To now to be riding round winning it is just incredible. It won't really sink in for a few months, it's just a whirlwind now.
"I seem to be floating around on cloud nine. Maybe when I'm like 70 sat in a corner of a pub telling some 18-year-old it'll sink it. It's incredible, the stuff of dreams. I stayed off Twitter for most of the race as I didn't want to get distracted. But I went on last night and it was insane to see the response from back home.
"The well-wishers, the compliments from other riders and other sportsmen in Wales, saying how happy and proud they are - it's insane and I really appreciate that support. Thanks for all the support, Maindy Flyers - just dream big, go for it, let nothing holding you back.
"You're going to have ups and downs but keep the faith. If you really want to do it, just really go for it. Don't let people put you down if they don't agree with you, just get on with it."
Fellow Team Sky rider Chris Froome, Primoz Roglic and Steven Kruijswijk completed the top five.
Daniel Lewis
