WELSH cycling legend Geraint Thomas is set to retire after the Tour of Britain next month, which will bring him to a finish high above the Blorenge.

The 2018 Tour de France winner will get the chance to say goodbye to the sport on home soil in Wales, with the country chosen to host the last two stages of the 2025 Lloyds Tour of Britain.

The penultimate stage of the Tour, taking place on Saturday, September 6, will begin in Pontypool and take a route through Monmouthshire, heading up the Tumble to Keepers Pond overlooking Abergavenny, and taking in Fiddler’s Elbow and past Garnddyrys Forge.

The climb, which averages an 8 per cent incline across its five kilometres, was last used by the race in 2014 and is seen as one of the toughest in the UK.

Indeed Thomas, who owns the St Tewdrics wedding venue near Chepstow, highlighted the Tumble in his book Mountains According to G as one of his favourite hill climbs.

Thomas will retire after the final stage the following day, which starts at the National Velodrome of Wales in Newport and takes riders via Maindy Velodrome in Cardiff, which is home to the club which gave Wales its first Tour de France Champion, before ending in the middle of the capital.

In what will be a fitting end to Thomas’ career, there will be a keen local eye on how Monmouthshire welcomes the competition, with one senior councillor having asked whether the county could host part of the Tour de France.

Cllr Richard John, Monmouthshire Conservative leader, wrote to the director of the Tour de France to request that the iconic 2027 Grand Départ route includes a section through thew county.

It has already been confirmed that the route will involve the UK, but specifics are yet to be finalised.