Geraint Thomas has "defied the odds" by occupying second place in the Tour de France behind Colombia teammate Egan Bernal, said Team Ineos boss Dave Brailsford.
Bernal, 22, will clinch victory on Sunday as long as he avoids any late disaster on the twilight parade into Paris to become the youngest winner in more than a century.
Thomas was hoping to defend the title he won last year but the 33-year-old Welshman has had to settle for second place.
"He's had a fantastic tour," Brailsford told BBC Radio on Sunday. "The first time someone wins the Tour de France they hardly ever come back and perform well the year afterwards.
"Geraint's defied all the odds there and could have won the race. He's fair, he's balanced, he wanted to win, but then as soon as the opportunity came for the team to win he was 100 percent behind it and he's just a pleasure to work with. He's a class act."
"Of course with a guy so young in Egan it has added an extra bit of enjoyment and a different element because all our previous wins have been with British riders."
"He's such a well-balanced, super-generous, kind, very giving individual, very concerned about everyone else, and yet he's got this incredible winning streak inside him which has made him the champion that he already is."
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