Geraint Thomas wins BBC Cymru Wales Sports Personality of the Year

Geraint Thomas’s victory in the Commonwealth Games road race in August has seen him named BBC Cymru Wales Sports Personality of the Year for the first time. He was presented with the trophy by Team Sky colleague Sir Bradley Wiggins at a training camp in Mallorca.

The 28-year-old, who also won bronze in the time trial at Glasgow, clinched gold in the road race despite a late puncture nearly putting paid to his chances of victory.

During 2014, he also secured top ten finishes at the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix, won the overall title at the Bayern Rundfahrt for the second time, and secured his highest ever general classification place at the Tour de France, finishing 22nd.

Presenting the trophy Wiggins, who in June beat Thomas into second place at the national time trial championship in Monmouthshire, said:  “You’ve had a fantastic year once again, winning Commonwealth Games gold and working unselfishly for the team all year in the Tour de France, etc.

“I think it’s a surprise to everyone in this team that you haven’t won it before.”

Thomas said: “You look at all the previous winners, Ryan Giggs, Mark Hughes, Colin Jackson, Tanni Grey-Thompson etc, household names.

“It’s pretty nuts to be alongside them, to be honest.

“I just want to say a massive thanks to everyone who voted but also to everyone throughout the year who’s given me support.”

He added: "The Welsh flag is one of the ones you see the most now on the roadside during races, and it was just fantastic to cap that off in Glasgow in a Welsh jersey - which I don't get to wear that often."

To celebrate, Thomas conducted Sky riders and staff in a rousing rendition of the Welsh national anthem - and, as this BBC video shows, was unceremoniously dumped in the hotel swimming pool for his efforts.

Gymnast Frankie Jones, who won one gold and five silver medals in Glasgow and was named the most outstanding athlete of the Games, came second in the public vote, while mountain bike downhill world champion Manon Carpenter was third.

Thomas is the first cyclist to win the award in its 60-year history. In 2008, when Nicole Cooke became the first rider, male or female, to win the Olympic and world championship road race in the same season, it went to rugby union player Shane Williams.

Another rugby union player, Leigh Halfpenny, won the trophy last year, with Becky James, winner of two rainbow jerseys at the track world championships in Minsk, one of five athletes on the shortlist.

Wiggins himself won BBC Sports Personality of the Year in 2012, the year he won the Tour de France and time trial gold at the London Olympics.

This year, however, there is no cyclist on the shortlist, the first time that has happened since 2007.

In 2008, the award went to Sir Chris Hoy, winner of three gold medals on the track at the Beijing Olympics that year, while in 2011 it was won by Mark Cavendish after he clinched the green jersey at the Tour de France and became world road champion in Copenhagen.