Geraint Thomas has indicated that he may not target the 2023 Tour de France, which could be the last year of his 17-season professional career.

The 36-year-old Welshman won the Tour de France in 2018 and was second overall in the same race in 2019 and third this year behind Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo Visma) and Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates).

He proved that he is still competitive in cycling's biggest race, despite two years of nasty crashes and doubts about his competitiveness as the younger generation dominates the sport.

Thomas' contract with Ineos Grenadiers runs through 2023. While the British team has signed many young riders, setting the stage for the future, Thomas is the only rider who has been with the team since its inception in 2010, and in many ways is the elder statesman of the team.

Thomas, who finished third overall in the 2022 Tour de France, could be called upon to lead the 2023 race as well.

"I have to sit back and think about what I want to do. I want to make the most of it," Thomas recently told Cycling News and VeloNews.

"Honestly, I don't even know if I'll be in the Tour, maybe the Giro. To be honest, I don't even know if I'm going to be in the Tour. I don't mind doing something different [this year I did some new races like Coppi & Bartali, Liège-Bastogne-Liège, Flèche Wallonne, and Ituria-Basque, which was very refreshing. None of these are races I have done before or have only done once."

Thomas crashed at the 2020 Giro d'Italia and also crashed badly early in the 2021 Tour de France. However, he failed to finish the road race and only finished 12th in the time trial.

In 2022, however, he was back to his best, winning the Tour de Suisse on his way to the podium at the Tour de France.

"I was pretty bad last year, so it was nice to enjoy the race and get a result. I'm proud of my run in the Tour de France and I'm really happy to have won in Switzerland. It's been a really good year."

Thomas also quietly enjoyed proving his critics wrong, both inside Ineos Grenadier and elsewhere.

"When I won the Tour, I could come back the next year to prove it wasn't a fluke. And I was happy to come back this year when it looked like I was done for. Now I feel like I have nothing more to prove," Thomas explained.

"It's always a special motivation to prove that you can still do it. The main thing was to enjoy the race and keep doing my thing. Just like in previous years, you can see the progress. It's nice to be in the thick of it."

Thomas found that enjoying the training process and the race was vital to his morale and success. He took control of his fitness and the progression of the race right from the start of the 2022 race.

He finished the 2022 season at the CRO race in Croatia, extending his season into early October.

If he decides to end his illustrious career in 2023, he hopes to enjoy his final season.

"I want to start 2023 a little better than I did this year. I don't necessarily need to win, but I want to be at the front of the race and in the mix. That's a good place to start the season."

"I'm looking forward to the next few years.

In the coming weeks, Thomas will decide whether he will continue racing beyond 2023.

"I'll talk to my wife and decide what to do," he revealed.

"My wife is very keen for me to continue racing. My son is settled in a French school and we are happy. My feelings are more important. I still enjoy racing and training.

"It's nice to do something new, but I'm not wishing it away too soon."