The Tour de France is now over and the victorious Geraint Thomas has returned to the Land of his Fathers after an epic journey. Thousands of people lined up in Cardiff to welcome the official winner. Since then, all eyes are turned on this new hero, the first Welshman in history to win the Tour.
From humble beginnings, Geraint rose to become a new embodiment of Welsh identity by the likes of Sam Warburton and Gareth Bale. On the podium, back in Paris, he chose to wave the Welsh flag rather than the Union Jack even though he was competing as a member of Sky, a British professional cycling team based in Manchester.
The gesture was applauded by Welsh media but not only. In France, journalists seem to have developed a fondness for the cyclist and refer to him more often as "le Gallois" (the Welshman) than as "le Britannique" (the Brit). L'Equipe, the most prominent sports paper and fourth most read main national paper in France, made it its front page:
These images travelled the world, projecting Wales to the front of the international stage. French media, tourism and even agriculture representatives are all well aware of the exposure opportunities provided by the Tour.
Launched 105 years ago, it is today considered to be the third biggest international sports event in the world, after the Olympic Games and the Football World Cup. Each year, it is watched in over 200 countries.
The roots of the Tour trace back to the emergence of two rival sports newspapers. It has become an institution, managed by private media group Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO). The group benefits from the extensive coverage, as it is estimated that France Télévisions alone spends over 20 million euros to broadcast the images. These French TV rights, coupled with foreign media revenues, represent more than half of the event's budget.
Because it is extended over several days, the event is a serial generating dozens of hours of entertainment. While other sports like cricket tend to be compressed into more commercially advantageous formats, the Tour de France, because it is mobile and lucrative, has remained (relatively) unchanged.
Sponsors and publicity guarantee additional income. Ahead of the cyclists, a fleet of branded cars drives past nearly 15 million spectators waiting to receive samples of all types of products (although saucisson, of course, remains a classic). Brands can pay up to hundreds of thousands of euros to be on the front line.
Finally, each stage town or city hosting the Tour has to pay a certain amount which varies upon its status - from a few dozens of thousands up to several millions. The direct economic benefits make it worthwhile. Indeed, the Tour represents three weeks of intense positive communications, showcasing French scenery, mountains, fields, towns and cities with beautiful aerial shots, as well as promoting local products thanks to all sorts of animations, feasts and competitions.
It is a huge, profitable soft power tool for France. And this year Geraint Thomas won, just as Wales is immersed in a reflection upon its own soft power abilities.
Earlier this year, the Institute of Welsh Affairs, in partnership with the British Council, held an event on 'Building a global Wales after Brexit: international perspectives on small nations and soft power'. Soft power was defined as establishing solid, peaceful relationships with other countries and their people through culture, public diplomacy and positive global contribution.
Jonathan McClory studied the implications of soft power at a sub-national level, and key findings of his 'Wales Soft Power Barometer 2018' were presented at the event. He used objective and subjective data to compare Wales with nine other similar “regions” and amongst the subjective polling data, Wales showed real strengths to leverage in sport.
Roger Lewis, Chairman of Cardiff Airport, also took to the stage to highlight the importance of recognising what Wales already has – not just in terms of infrastructure but also in terms of framework. He pointed to Whitchurch High School in Cardiff, where sporting stars Gareth Bale and Sam Warburton both studied, as an education institution we should aim to understand and replicate.
Little did he know Geraint Thomas, who is also an alumnus, would win the Tour de France a few months later. He already got the gist of it though, and so did French newspaper Le Monde back in 2016. In the run up to the Euros, "Sur les traces de Gareth Bale" (On Gareth Bale's footsteps) retraced the career of the Welsh football star all the way from Whitchurch High School, described as an institution "cultivating excellence without false modesty". Last month, the article "Tour de France : Geraint Thomas, de l’école des cracks du sport gallois au maillot jaune" (Tour de France: Geraint Thomas, from the school of Welsh sport legends to the yellow jersey) also paid tribute to the school and its Hall of Fame.
As The Guardian reported, Geraint Thomas’s win has big implications for cycling in Wales but there’s more to it. Wales has won a new ambassador on the world stage, one described as talented and persevering yet humble and amicable by both local and foreign journalists. With Sam Warburton's retirement from rugby coming as a shock, the Tour de France victory could not have come at a better time.
Jonathan McClory's research suggests that international opinions on Wales are still largely unformed, which means we should seize the opportunity to shape them. Wales has the potential to become a much more popular country, but we need to be better at showcasing its people, not just its spectacular coastline and mountains. That’s exactly what Geraint Thomas when he won the race: he let the world see more of what the 'Welsh spirit' is about, just like the Tour does every year for France.