FROOME’S BIGGEST CHALLENGE
CHRIS FROOME yesterday admitted this year’s Tour de France will be his greatest challenge yet.
Cycling’s great showpiece begins over the German border in Dusseldorf today, with Team Sky star Froome chasing a hat-trick of crowns and his fourth win in five years.
That would put the 32-year-old up there with all-time greats such as Eddy Merckx, Jacques Anquetil, Bernard Hinault and Miguel Indurain.
But, worryingly, and for the first time since his first Tour win in 2013, Froome has not had a single race win this season.
Morale
In June’s crucial warm-up race, the Criterium du Dauphine, which he had won three times in four years, he crept home only fourth overall.
But yesterday he said defiantly: “Having a victory coming into the Tour is always great for morale but I think I can take a lot of confidence from having won three already.
“I’d been very light on race days up until the Dauphine. I’d like to think that means I’m coming into the Tour fresher than I’ve ever been before. If numbers in training are anything to go by, I’m ready for the next three weeks.”
This year’s route, with limited time trials – his in-house speciality – and fewer set-piece mountain stages, does him few favours.
And he admitted: “It is the biggest challenge that I have faced in my career to date.
“It’s an open course and the level of my rivals is higher than it has ever been.”
Aussie Richie Porte is ranked as the biggest threat to take the crown and even Froome admitted: “Ritchie is the favourite to win the Tour.”
Other serious candidates include Colombian climber Nairo Quintana and ageing Spanish veteran Alberto Contador, who desperately wants a third Tour title before retiring.
Mark Cavendish needs four stage wins to equal Merckx’s all-time record of 34 but has only just been cleared to return to racing after glandular fever.
This year’s Tour route features nine stages which look ripe for a sprint finish, an unusually large number and one that Cav could not resist.
“I’m not in ideal condition, but the good thing about being a sprinter is sometimes you can win on luck,” he said.
“It’s worth coming here because there are a lot of sprint days.”