<
>

Lance Armstrong trolls Geraint Thomas over stolen Tour de France trophy

Geraint Thomas was presented with the Tour de France trophy on the Champs Elysees but it was stolen at the end of September. Mantey Stephane - Pool/Getty Images

Lance Armstrong has trolled Tour de France winner Geraint Thomas by offering a replacement for his stolen trophy.

Current Le Tour champion Thomas made an appeal for the Coupe Omnisports to be returned after it went missing at the end of the Cycle Show, an exhibition of cycling brands in Birmingham, UK at the end of September.

Italian bike manufacturer Pinarello had left the trophy unattended when it was loaned to them by Team Sky alongside the Vuelta a Espana and Giro d'Italia trophies.

Police in Birmingham say they are investigating the incident.

In response to a BBC Sport article describing Thomas' appeal for the trophy to be returned, Armstrong tweeted:

Armstrong was stripped of his Tour de France titles and given a lifetime ban from cycling by the United States Anti Doping Agency (USADA) in 2012, but it is not clear whether he handed back his trophies or yellow jerseys.

The former rider from Texas decided not to contest the USADA charges against him, finally admitting to taking performance-enhancing drugs in all seven of his Tours de France in an interview with talk-show host Oprah Winfrey.