This was the hardest of them all, says champion
TEAM SKY bosses are looking to dominate professional road cycling for another seven years after Chris Froome revealed his intention to make history by contesting the Tour de France into his late 30s.
Froome, 32, was congratulated on his fourth Tour victory by senior Sky executives. The cycling team’s staff believe they will retain their sponsors’ support despite the controversy surrounding the Sir Bradley Wiggins medical exemption certificates and an ongoing UK Anti-Doping investigation into a medical package.
While Froome is now targeting a recordequalling fifth Tour win, Sky are making plans up to 2024 with the aim of remaining the most powerful team on the road. Froome’s win was underlined by the dominance of his team-mates, who also secured the team prize.
‘It’s just an amazing feeling,’ he said. ‘The Champs-Elysees never disappoints. There’s something magical about it when you spend three weeks thinking of this moment.
‘This Tour will be remembered as the closest and most hard-fought of them all.
‘It’s also a huge honour to be mentioned in the same sentence as Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault and Miguel Indurain.’
A fourth win prompted calls for Froome to be recognised not just in the Honours List but as the BBC Sports Personality of the Year. ‘It would be a crime for @chrisfroome not to be #SPOTY this year and not to be on the honours list! One of the greatest ever @LeTour riders,’ Laura Kenny (née Trott) posted on Twitter.
Dylan Groenewegen won the final sprint yesterday after the race passed through the Grand Palais for the first time — to support the Paris 2024 Olympic bid — but there was further success for British cycling, with Simon Yates following his twin brother Adam last year, in securing the white jersey for the best young rider.
In his victory speech, Froome paid tribute to his rivals for keeping the race close. ‘We race hard against each other, suffer together, but the most special thing is the friendship and camaraderie in the peloton,’ he said.
Sky team principal Brailsford said there was no reason Froome could not extend his dominance.
‘Physically he’s got what it takes, so then it’s a question of hunger and mentality and the Chris I’ve seen here has been working harder than ever,’ he said.