CYCLING

A very tough, demanding and problem-filled Vuelta a Espana for Geraint Thomas finished at the weekend with the Welsh star coming home in 31^st place.

Thomas crossed the line one hour, 47 minutes and 59 seconds behind tour winner Sepp Kruss, with Jonas Vingegaard in second and Primoz Roglic in third.

Wales’ former Tour de France winner suffered two falls and the regular loss of Ineos Grenadiers teammates throughout an eventful Vuelta.

Thomas said: “We’ve tried to enjoy ourselves but it’s been tough at times, especially for me, when you go to your room, it’s tough. It’s hard, and you think, ‘what am I doing?’

“But we’ve tried to stay positive and we’ve certainly committed. You can’t say we’ve not tried. It’s just unfortunate that we’ve not quite got the results that we’ve deserved. As I’ve said on my podcast, life’s not fair.

“Kuss is a super nice guy. Especially the fact that he is always helping and riding so well for others, it is just really nice to see him get some of his own glory.

“Especially for the English speaking native countries, the Brits, the Aussies, the Americans, and all that, everyone is super happy to see him win. But then also, obviously, he has been around a while as well, so it is not just those boys, but the whole peloton has a lot of respect for someone like Sepp.”

 

HOCKEY

The first Welsh team to play in the English men’s Premier Division found it tough going in their opening game.

Cardiff and Met hosted Southgate at Cardiff’s Sophia Gardens on Saturday evening after winning promotion last season.

But the game ended in a 4-1 defeat for Cardiff, proving they will need to improve to live with the best teams across the border.

Wales international Luke Hawker believes the whole of Welsh hockey can harvest the benefits of Cardiff and Met reaching the top of the tree, however.

“This is something that the club has been building towards since I first joined back in 2009,” says Hawker.

“Had we gone up into the Premier League five or six years ago, the club probably wasn’t ready for it, but we are in a much stronger position now.

 

 

“By getting to the Premier League, we are demonstrating that if we get our clubs right, then we are capable of having clubs who can compete with the strongest across England and Wales.”

“By having a Premier Division team, it means players don’t have to end up feeling they need to go to London – or even to Europe – to have that top club level experience. It proves they can stay in Wales and have the highest level of hockey that’s available in the UK.

“There are also opportunities, spin-offs to expand the sport. We want to showcase the sport and say if you want top class sport in Cardiff you don’t have to spend 80 quid to watch a Wales international rugby match, you can spend a fiver watching top level hockey and have a good experience.”

Cardiff and Met stormed to the Men’s Division 1 North title last season, losing just two of 18 matches.

“Finishing mid-table – sixth to eighth – would be a pretty successful season for us,” says Hawker.

“So long as we avoid the four-way play-offs they have down at the bottom of the table, we’ll be happy.”