Staying safe key for Tour champion-inwaiting Froome
MEGÈVE, France: Chris Froome did not claim outright he has the Tour de France wrapped up but the Briton did admit he’s now focused merely on making it safely to Paris.
Froome won Thursday’s 18th stage uphill time-trial to increase his overall lead to almost four minutes.
He also claimed his rivals will be more concerned about battling each other to try to secure a place on the podium rather than hoping to overhaul his lead.
And so his main focus now is simply on not coming a cropper before the race finale in Paris on Sunday.
“The main thing for me right now is staying safe and staying away from any big incidents before Paris,” said Froome.
“I’ve got a fantastic advantage right now -- almost four minutes on second place right now. It’s about looking after that advantage and not taking any risks, staying out of trouble.”
Froome was the only one of his main rivals to pick a specialist time-trial bike on Thursday, while the others selected an option that mixed a normal road bike with a time-trial set- up. The road bike was a stronger option for the initial steep climb but thereafter a timetrial bike offered an advantage.
“The equipment choice was paramount today,” he said.
“But at the end of the day I had to have the legs to ride the equipment we chose.
“But the equipment choice went a long way to victory today.”
While Froome has been in blistering form this year, his main rival Nairo Quintana has appeared a shadow of his usual self. He sits fourth overall at 4min 37sec behind Froome.
But the 26-year- old Colombian claimed he has been suffering from an allergy.
“I didn’t expect to be feeling like this, it’s not fatigue that I’m feeling, but my body isn’t responding,” complained the Movistar team leader, who was 10th fastest on a time-trial that should have suited him.
“I could have at the moment a type of allergy because I’m not able to oxygenate my legs very well.
“It might be an allergy from this area that I have and which has been affecting me the last few days. I hope that with the rain that is expected, I’ll feel better and will be able to fight for the podium.”
Froome believes Australian Richie Porte is the best placed rider to finish on the podium in Paris. But for losing 1: 45 due to a puncture late on the second stage, Porte would be second already. — AFP