Gold post box for cyclist Geraint Thomas, Cardiff

Gold post box for Geraint Thomas, Castle Street, Cardiff

This post box was painted gold in August 2012 to celebrate the gold medal won by local cyclist Geraint Thomas at the Olympic Games.

Geraint was born in May 1986 and brought up in Birchgrove, a suburb in north Cardiff. He showed an early talent for cycling, joining the Maindy Flyers aged 10. He suffered a setback in 2005 when he crashed while training in Australia. The accident ruptured his spleen, which was removed.

Aged 21, he completed the Tour de France in 2007, when he was the youngest rider in this taxing race. He was also the first Welsh rider in 40 years to complete the Tour. In July 2018 he became the first Welshman to win the Tour de France.

His made his Olympics debut in Beijing in 2008, as part of a victorious team which also included Sir Bradley Wiggins, Paul Manning and Ed Clancy.

Geraint became the first Welsh person to win a gold medal at the 2012 Olympics in London, in the team pursuit. His teammates were Ed Clancy, Steven Burke and Peter Kennaugh.

The Royal Mail applied gold paint to a post box in the home town of each gold medal winner during the 2012 games, including this one for Geraint.

During the coronavirus lock-down in April 2020, Geraint raised more than £300,000 for the NHS by cycling for 36 hours, in 12-hour stints, on the trainer bike in his garage. He cycled the equivalent of more than 400km per day.

The post box is immediately outside the building where the BBC made its first Welsh broadcast, in 1923. The building is now home to E&W Couture, which specialises in wedding dresses designed and made in Wales.

Postcode: CF10 1BT    View Location Map

Website of E&W Couture