Former Tour de France winner Geraint Thomas has been appointed director of racing at Ineos Grenadiers, the British team announced on Thursday.

Thomas will work closely with senior management, providing input on race strategy, rider recruitment, and team performance.

The Welshman, who won the Tour in 2018 with Team Sky — which became Team Ineos the following year after its takeover by British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe — retired in September after the Tour of Britain.

Geraint Thomas Begins New Chapter With Ineos Grenadiers

"This team has been my home since day one, and stepping into this role feels like a natural next step," said the 39-year-old. "I've learned so much from the people around me — fellow riders and staff — and I now want to continue building on our incredible past success into the future.

"I'm passionate about helping the next generation come through, to pass on that experience and keep pushing the team forward towards our mission of winning Grand Tours again."

Dave Brailsford Praises Thomas’s Leadership And Experience

Ineos director of sport Dave Brailsford said: "He has lived and breathed elite performance throughout his career. He always set himself very ambitious goals and invariably went on to achieve them.

"He knows what the process takes, how to deal with the highs and lows of elite sport, and his willingness to now share this and mentor others to do the same is a great asset for the team."

Team Sky enjoyed a string of Tour de France successes with Bradley Wiggins, Chris Froome, and Geraint Thomas. Team Ineos was rebranded as the Ineos Grenadiers in 2020.