Q. Geraint, thanks for taking time out to have a chat with us after the Tour. How did you find the whole experience the third time around? A. It was crazy. Last year I was in the thick of the action for the first week and held the white jersey, but once we hit the mountains I didn?t have the legs to stay competitive. From then on I took a domestique role and was out of the cameras. This year was a massive change though and I was in the thick of it all the way through. On the climbs I was a lot stronger and that was the best bit. It was something I hadn?t managed to do before and something I really wanted to achieve in front of the big crowds. Q. We saw you animating the race on several occasions with breakaways. Was this always the plan for you, or something that happened out of circumstance? A. It was the plan at the start of a few days, but the overall plan changed when Bradley had to abandon the race with his broken collarbone. If that hadn?t have happened I?d have been in the peloton a lot more looking after him but one he went our gameplan for the race changed and it was all about us being more aggressive from thereon in. Q. Unfortunately the team lost [W:Bradley Wiggins] early in the Tour to a nasty injury. Can you tell us a bit about the atmosphere in the camp at the time? A. No-one was joking like we normally did at dinner that?s for sure. Everyone was pretty gutted that night but the race went on and we could have either sat back and felt sorry for ourselves or fought for it for each other. We got in the break the very next day and I think that set the scene for the rest of the race. The morale picked up again quickly because of that and gave us all a purpose for the rest of the race. Q. [W:Edvald Boasson Hagen] was part of the dominant Norwegian duet at this years Tour. How much of a lift did his successes give the team? A. It was a massive lift for all of us and his wins meant that we had really achieved something in the biggest race of them all. I was rooming with Edvald throughout the Tour and those wins really couldn?t have happened to a nicer guy. Q. You wore the White Jersey during this years race, and people have been labelling you as a future GC rider in the [W:Tour de France]. How do you see your career progressing? A. I?d love to ride for the GC one day but I think for the next few years I need to keep doing what I?m doing and then when the time is right go for it 100%. Before then though I need to keep progressing as I am. I still love racing in the Classics, I was 10th at the [W:Tour of Flanders] this year, and I really want to go back and get on the podium there. I think there?s a real chance to do that in the very near future as well. Q. You already have an Olympic Team Pursuit gold medal & Great Britain National Road Race Champion jersey in your collection, are you keen to add a London 2012 road race medal to the cabinet? A. No, I don?t think that?ll happen because my focus will be in the team pursuit? in the Olympics. You can?t really mix the road and the track that close together any more because they are both such specific disciplines these days and you need to spend a lot of time on both to be competitive. Q. So many of the [W:Team Sky] guys are on Twitter, whose the most addicted?? A. I think about half the guys are on Twitter now and the most addicted it definitely [W:Russell Downing]. He?s constantly on it and checking what people are saying. He?s the one that got me onto it as well actually! Q. What?s the weirdest request you have ever had from a fan? A. I don?t know actually. I?ve had a few people want me to sign arms and stuff but I haven?t had any boobs yet (laughs). And finally… Q. If you could have either x-ray vision or the ability to read minds, which would you choose? And why??!! A. Definitely reading minds because you would be able to tell what your rivals were thinking out on the road.
