Tour de France Legend Joins Cameron Wurf for Epic Fall Cycling Experience

MIAMI (Aug. 8, 2023) – Cycling superstar Geraint Thomas will be a featured guest at the fall edition of the Best Buddies Breakaway Camp: Malibu.  

The camp will be held Nov. 29-Dec. 3, 2023.  

Thomas’ teammate Cameron Wurf, known by journalists as the most versatile elite athlete in the world, will also help lead this camp.  

“When Cameron told me about the Best Buddies Breakaway Camp – a solid block of riding in Southern California without some director in my earpiece – I was intrigued,” said Thomas, a captain of the INEOS Grenadiers cycling team. “Then I discovered I would be helping some fine people raise funds and awareness for people with intellectual disabilities. I became that much more motivated. I could help myself there while also supporting a cause that helps people back home in the United Kingdom.”   

Attendees are treated to an epic five-day cycling experience. Set in the Santa Monica Mountains of Southern California, riders receive the amenities, support and structure of a UCI World Tour team camp. Each day is a complete curriculum with tips on climbing, descending, nutrition, group riding skills and recovery. 

“Look at my career: I went from being a track racer to being a Grand Tour champion able to compete in the high mountains,” said Thomas, noting that even a novice cyclist can benefit from such a camp. “I love to teach riders of any level ways to shake loose of their limitations, be they physical, mental or even spiritual. I guarantee you will come away from the Best Buddies Breakaway Camp as a more well-rounded cyclist.”   

Thomas, 37, is one of the most accomplished, articulate and popular cyclists alive. In 2018, he became the first Welsh cyclist to win the Tour de France. He has won three World Championships, two Olympic gold medals and finished on the podium of both the Tour de France and the Giro D’Italia. Thomas was also named by the BBC as The Wales Sports Personality of the Year in both 2014 and 2018 and the BBC Sports Personality of the Year in 2018. His podcast, The Geraint Thomas Cycling Club, has upwards of one million listeners. 

Early in his career, he had international success on the velodrome, winning titles in the pursuit, team pursuit, Madison and scratch races.  He steadily improved on the road, serving as a domestique to help both Sir Bradley Wiggins and Chris Froome in their ascendance to the top of the sport. But by helping those stars, he too became a star. Scoring victories in single-week stage races such as Paris-Nice, Tour de Romandie, Criterium du Dauphine and the Tour de Suisse elevated his power and cache to make him a Grand Tour favorite.  Despite the recent eruption of young superstars, Thomas commanded this year’s Giro into the final week before finishing second overall.  

Joining Thomas will be Wurf, a native of Tasmania and longtime ambassador for Best Buddies. Having competed in rowing at the 2004 Olympics, Wurf switched to cycling with immediate success. He earned a spot in the UCI World Tour in Europe and completed the Vuelta a España and Giro d’Italia. He then became one of the top triathletes in the world. Popular with fans and other riders, Wurf is referred to as the “Chief Motivation Officer” of every team he joins. For that, the INEOS Grenadiers recruited the Australian for both cycling and triathlon.  

Wurf and Thomas will share with attendees a bounty of their wit, wisdom and wisecracks from decades of racing at the highest level of the sport. 

Based out of the Four Seasons Westlake Village, the camp is also supported by Pinarello, IOG Bike Fit and Consulting, The Alternate Route, a full staff of licensed coaches, Tour de France mechanics, chefs and massage therapists.  

This five-star camp helps to raise funds and awareness for Best Buddies International and its global mission to support citizens with intellectual and developmental disabilities. For information https://www.bestbuddieschallenge.org/malibu/. 

ABOUT BEST BUDDIES INTERNATIONAL:
Best Buddies^® is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to establishing a global volunteer movement that creates opportunities for one-to-one friendships, integrated employment, leadership development and inclusive living for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Founded in 1989 by Anthony Kennedy Shriver, Best Buddies is a vibrant organization that has grown from one original chapter to nearly 3,000 middle school, high school, and college chapters worldwide. Today, Best Buddies’ nine formal programs — Middle Schools, High Schools, Colleges, Citizens, e-Buddies^®, Jobs, Ambassadors, Promoters and Inclusive Living — engage participants in each of the 50 states and in 47 countries, positively impacting the lives of nearly 1 million people with and without disabilities around the world. In many cases, as a result of their involvement with Best Buddies, people with intellectual and developmental disabilities secure rewarding jobs, live on their own, become inspirational leaders, and make lifelong friendships.

For more information, please visit www.bestbuddies.org, facebook.com/bestbuddies, or twitter.com/bestbuddies.

For media inquiries:
Best Buddies International
Nicole Maddox
305-374-2233, ext. 343
NicoleMaddox@bestbuddies.org