Froome says 4th Tour de France win was toughest yet and most fulfilling
PARIS — After the champagne bubbles fade and Chris Froome drifts away from his Sunday night celebrations to reflect on a fourth Tour de France win, he may do so with greater fondness than the others.
The first, in 2013, brought the bursting pride of a first success. But he won by more than four minutes, as he did last year. Although Nairo Quintana finished a little over one minute behind him in 2015, this year’s victory — by just 54 seconds — over another Colombian, Rigoberto Uran, tastes sweeter.
“This Tour has been my toughest yet,” Froome said.
Froome temporarily lost the race lead to the daring Italian Fabio Aru in the Pyrenees on a huge climb to the ski station of Peyragudes.
Froome thought he’d lost it altogether two days later. Last Sunday in Rodez, he was forced to change his rear wheel in the final 40 kilometres (25 miles) after a spoke broke. He got dropped, drifting way behind the peloton.
“I was just standing there on the side of the road with my teammate Michal Kwiatkowski,” Froome said. “I thought it was potentially game over.”
Riding with unchained fury, Kwiatkowski and Froome bridged the gap — and saved his Tour.
Fast forward to Saturday’s penultimate stage in Marseille and a time trial — one of his strongest disciplines. Froome was right back in the ascendency and closing in on win No. 4, which he clinched Sunday.
This was the third straight win for the Team Sky rider. The Tour record of five is shared by four riders from the past.