NO LET-UP FOR FROOME

CHRIS FROOME would not reveal if he is merely shaking the legs out or going all-out for glory in the Prudential RideLondon tomorrow when he competes on home soil for the first time in two years. But the three-time Tour de France winner is determined to do whatever it takes to be ready to strike gold in Rio in the Olympic road race and time trial, where he is aiming to emulate the feat of Sir Bradley Wiggins in 2012 and win the Tour and a gold medal. The 31-year-old (below) will prepare on the streets of London and Surrey alongside a Team Sky squad that includes Geraint Thomas, Ian Stannard, Ben Swift, Christian Knees and Dutch sprinter Danny van Poppel. Wiggins, who will compete on the track in Rio, has backed his compatriot to match his feats of four years ago and Froome is confident. ‘I’m going to Rio in good form and I’m really looking forward to it,’ he said. ‘One-day races are always hard to predict but the road race course is one that should hopefully suit me and so I will be giving it my best shot. ‘I rode well in the time trials at the Tour, finishing second and first, and so hopefully I can continue that form and bring home a medal for Team GB.’ Froome has barely stopped cycling. Less than 24 hours after completing the Tour on the Champs-Elysees on Sunday he was winning the Nartour Criterium in Belgium. But more serious challenges await. He would not say if he will be supporting his team-mates or going for personal glory tomorrow, adding: ‘We’re definitely coming to try to win the race. We’ve got a strong line up that covers a lot of bases. It’s a race that can go a number of different ways but we are well prepared for all eventualities.’