Fourth Tour title almost secure, but Froome says it’s getting harder

MARSEILLE, France: The one crumb of comfort for those desiring the yellow jersey Chris Froome will almost certainly wear to Sunday’s prize- giving in Paris is that the British rider says winning the Tour de France is getting harder.

The bad news is that he says he is getting better.

Barring a calamity on the champagne- sipping celebratory ride from Montgeron to the Champs- lys es, the 32-year- old captain of the Team Sky armada will claim a third consecutive win and fourth in five years.

Modest as he is, it no longer seems fanciful to mention Froome in the same breath as Spain’s Miguel Indurain, Belgium’s Eddy Merckx or French duo Bernard Hinault and Jacques Anquetil — all of whom won the race a record five times.

Froome freely admits he is no student of the sport’s heritage — his only concern is pedalling faster and for longer than anyone else in the peloton.

But while he doesn’t own the “Cycling Greats” box set, he knows exactly what they sacrificed to dominate.

“I certainly have a new-found appreciation for just how difficult it was for those guys to have won five Tour titles. It certainly isn’t getting easier and this year was the closest race of my Tour de France career,” he said.

“I’ve never been one to try and be like someone else. As everyone knows I have my own unique style on the bike. But I have respect for all those guys because I know how hard it is.” — Reuters