PUT US ON THE ROAD TO GOLD

Tour de France hero Froome aims to start Britain’s medal rush

THE smart money says Chris Froome will win the first British gold medal of what Team GB hope will be a successful Olympic Games in Rio.

But then it could be Spain’s Alejandro Valverde or Vincenzo Nibali of Italy who puts the British gold rush on ice. Rarely has the men’s Olympic road race been more difficult to predict as the organisers here have served up a 147-mile course with almost as much climbing as the toughest stage at this year’s Tour de France.

Froome, who has just secured his third Tour title in the Alps, is the finest climber in the professional peloton and this is a climber’s race.

The 31-year-old wants gold at around teatime today and his considerable talent earns him the right to aim even higher — a piece of sporting history by becoming the first man to win both the Olympic road race and time trial having already won the Tour. A knighthood would surely follow.

For British Cycling, which has endured such a difficult build-up to these Games with missed drugs tests, accusations of sexism and bullying marring their preparations, it would also be quite an achievement to bring home the first medal of these Games.

‘It would be incredible to win a gold medal,’ said Froome. ‘For us the Tour really is the pinnacle but with the Olympics the whole world is watching. It’s special. And on a course like this, it’s probably a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.’

But what makes today’s race compelling is the presence of a wild card rider, a maverick with a rather devilish glint in his eye, who might just spring a surprise and snatch gold on Copacabana.

Steve Cummings (right) was the central figure in a controversy that was more than a little embarrassing for the British selectors. He was furious to be left out when the Olympics team was announced in June, but responded to the bitter disappointment by securing his second Tour stage win in two years with a stunning solo attack.

What angered Cummings was the fact that Team Sky Rod Ellingworth had picked the team and, Adam Yates aside, had selected three Team Sky riders to support Froome.

Cummings accused Ellingworth of a conflict of interest and called for him to be removed from the selection process. And then came the twist. Peter Kennaugh declared himself unable to compete in Rio after failing to recover sufficiently from a collar bone injury suffered in May. It not only raised the question of why Ellingworth had selected him in the first place if he wasn’t fit, it opened the door for Cummings to board the plane to Brazil.

So here he is, a 35-year-old quite brilliant one-day racer from the Wirral who will be looking to attack the more recognised climbers and then try to hold on to the finish.

But the road race is so hard to call because the small size of the teams — Great Britain is only one of five nations that has five riders — makes it impossible to control the race in the manner Team Sky so often do in France. Froome’s best hope comes if any breakaway proves unsuccessful and the main contenders are bunched together before the last brutal ascent of the Vista Chinesa circuit. From there Froome could launch an attack, break his rivals and then navigate his way down a tricky descent before employing that time-trial ability for the final, flat few miles to the finish.

At the British School in Rio this week the five riders presented a united front, with Froome — who comes to the Games more of a certainty to win gold in the time trial — sporting enough to concede that he will not chase down Cummings if his team-mate has executed a successful breakaway. ‘I think it’s great for us as a team,’ said Froome. ‘It really does put us in a great position as a team. If we’ve got Steve up the road it means we’re not going to be on the front chasing.’

Watching them ascend the spectacular climb to the Vista Chinesa this week, the riders seemed to be performing their specified roles. Froome was tucked in behind Yates, Geraint Thomas and Ian Stannard, with Cummings tucked in behind Froome. Yates and Thomas are here to assist Froome on the climbs, with the powerfully built Stannard employed for the long flat sections between the two hilly circuits that sit at either end of Rio’s stunning coastline, and the cobbles, too.

They all agreed on where the main threats will come from. Froome identified Valverde and Nibali, while Cummings declared Valverde ‘the favourite, because he can finish as well as climb’. But Brian Smith, a former Olympic road racer who was Cummings’ team manager until last year, insists one should ‘never underestimate Steve’, adding: ‘There are very few riders like him in the peloton.’