Heroics performances in cycling can come in many different forms but Geraint Thomas’ against-the-odds battle to get to Paris in last year’s Tour de France must rank among the bravest.

The Team Sky rider crashed heavily on the opening stage and after struggling through the next, he was found to have fractured his pelvis. Remarkably though, the Welshman continued the race to finish in 140th place and help Chris Froome secure overall victory.

The 28-year-old is again set to be a key lieutenant in Froome’s defence of the crown this time around but it was on the track where ‘G’, as he is popularly known, really came to prominence outside his sport.

Thomas has been part of Britain’s gold medal-winning team pursuit squad in the last two Olympics, as well as a world champion in the same discipline, while on the road he has been a consistent performer; his results this year including top-ten finishes at two famous one-day classics in the spring, Paris-Roubaix and the Tour of Flanders.