As the bright lights of the spotlight fade, many a sportsperson has glimpsed another limelight coming into view. Paralympic champion Jody Cundy has seen it bouncing off a glittery ball; boxer Nicola Adams has witnessed its refraction off sequins; and rowing legend James Cracknell has spied it bouncing off the polished wood floor. “Sashay this way,” call the bright lights of Strictly Come Dancing.
Geraint Thomas can see them coming into view. “My parents-in-law are like ‘Please don’t go on that, you’ll be terrible,’ so that makes me want to do it,” he says when we ask if he’s had the call. He adds: “That SAS one, Who Dares Wins is it? I’d love to do something like that. Though I think the physical side I’d still struggle with, even though I’m an endurance athlete. Like, I went for a run the other day and I still can’t walk properly.”
The Welshman has had his post-riding career on his mind lately (see box), having signed a two-year contract that he tells is almost certainly his last as a pro rider. But