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As a lean-looking Geoff Thomas offers his reflections against the stunning backdrop of the Alps, it’s hard to believe he’ll celebrate his 61st birthday next month.
Thomas, a former FA Cup final captain with Crystal Palace and capped nine times by England, has just cycled past the fashionable ski resort of Courchevel as part a steep climb on the 18th stage of his seventh Tour de France.
It is a remarkable feat for anyone let alone a cancer survivor with two arthritic knees, a legacy of his earlier professional career.
One of the joys of the Tour is that amateur riders can ride the course a few days before the elite professional riders.
Thomas first took part in 2005 – a couple of years after his own diagnosis of myeloid leukemia that required a stem cell transplant – and every ride has raised substantial sums of money for Cure Leukeumia to distribute drugs, run clinical trials and helping to pool information from different health units.
At the beginning of this year, Thomas thought competing again on the 20th anniversary of his first tour was a pipedream due to grade four arthritis in both knees, a result of multiple cruciate injuries during his playing days.
Geoff Thomas, 61 next month, is currently taking part in his seventh Tour de France charity ride
The ex-Crystal Palace and England star has used cycling to raise money for Cure Leukaemia
Thomas overcame leukemia in the 2000s and suffered from grade four arthritis in both knees
However, a new injection, Arthrosamid, became available and allowed him to train pain-free. The reward will come on Sunday when he crosses the Tour’s finish line in Paris having ridden more than two thousand miles.
He’s approximately the same weight today (76kgs) as during his football career and is understandably proud of what he is about to achieve.
‘The Tour is a brutal event, particularly the climbs of 25 or 30 miles in the mountains. I don’t think I would like to be a professional cyclist. It is a tough old game,’ he acknowledges.
‘I initially thought I’d do a week but I’ve stayed to the end.
‘Professor Craddock, my partner in Cure Leukemia, saved my life when I had the illness. It is a great cause which delivers hope to patients. It’s what keeps me motivated to do silly things like this!’
Thomas played for seven clubs including Nottingham Forest and Wolves but is best-known for his spell as captain at Palace, who took Manchester United to a replay in the 1990 FA Cup final and then finished third in the old First Division.
‘A lot of people in the game still call me Skip. The manager Steve Coppell would say I led by example rather than holler, but others might say different!
‘When you play alongside people with the quality of Ian Wright, I wasn’t scared of speaking my mind when they weren’t performing.
Thomas looks as fit as ever, weighing roughly the same as he did in his playing days (76kg)
But he admits the Tour is ‘brutal’ and says he would not fancy being a professional cyclist
‘They might have had so much more ability but you recognise when they aren’t pulling their weight. That is what leadership is all about. It is about cajoling and recognising when someone might need a little kick up the backside.’
Thomas was at Wembley in May to see the club win the first major trophy in their history, beating Manchester City to win the FA Cup.
His own successful Palace team broke up with Wright, Mark Bright and later Nigel Martyn sold for big money.
He thinks the long-term answer this time to keeping star assets Eberechi Eze, Marc Guehi, Adam Wharton and Jean-Philippe Mateta is moving out of Selhurst Park to a bigger stadium.
‘If Palace go well again and do well in Europe, people are going to come knocking. Realistically, I think Palace could be top eight,’ says Thomas.
‘In my time, we were promised a new stadium with new facilities, and it’s still being talked about.
‘It would be nice to see Crystal Palace have the stadium that is fit for this current time. The team is there for it. The fans are there for it. It is a balancing act with the money men, when is the right time.
‘It is a difficult choice but I think that is the way you are going to keep these players in the future.
Thomas captained Palace in their 1990 FA Cup final replay defeat by Manchester United
Thomas believes Palace can become a top-eight Premier League side if they move to a bigger, more modern stadium
‘Everton are leaving Goodison Park. There aren’t many old stadiums like Selhurst Park any more. Times move forward, don’t they?
‘I don’t want to put pressure on Steve (Parish) but I think it would be nice for Crystal Palace to play in surroundings fit for these times. They have the players to grace a new stadium. It would be an added bonus.’
So far, Parish’s summer has been taken up with contesting Uefa’s decision to demote the club from the Europa League to the Conference League because of shareholder John Textor’s stake in both The Eagles and Lyon.
Thomas describes the decision as a “mess” but though feeling the decision unfair, doesn’t think it should define Palace’s season.
‘I think a bigger club than Palace would have had a better chance of getting past a situation like this,’ he says. ‘Whatever the outcome, there will be a time to look forward to entertaining football in Europe.’
