• Chris Froome reflects on long journey to yellow jersey
• Sir Dave Brailsford still exasperated by the sceptics
By his own admission, Chris Froome is no cycling historian and remains largely ignorant of his sport's long tradition compared with Mark Cavendish and Bradley Wiggins. But if the latest Tour de France winner was in any doubt about the enormity of his achievement, it will have evaporated when he saw the giant Tricolore suspended beneath a beautifully illuminated Arc de Triomphe, this year circumnavigated by the riders for the first time in race history.
Built to honour fighting spirit and victory in battle, as well as France's fallen, it stood proudly as a monument to a peloton comprising 170 bruised and weary, sweat-soaked warriors of the road, led by one man: Froome. "For me, what this represents, the journey I have taken to get here, from where I started, riding on a little mountain bike on dirt roads back in Kenya, to be here right in yellow in the Tour de France, the biggest event on our cycling calendar, it is difficult for me to put into words," he said. "This Tour really has thrown everything at us. It is only fitting for the 100th edition that it really has been a special edition."
Quizzed about the arresting, sequinned yellow, Strictly Come Cycling-style jersey in which he, along with former winners such as Miguel Indurain, Bernard Hinault and Eddie Merckx, were zipped into in honour of the 100th Tour, Froome was suitably chuffed to be in such exalted company. "Yes, that's something," he grinned. "Yeah, they're good company. I couldn't think of any other guys to share that with."
One former champion who was not invited to share in the denouement was Lance Armstrong, whose spectre has inevitably cast a long shadow over the first Tour since his revelations of serial cheating, prompting no end of unwelcome, but understandable accusations from sceptics suspicious of Froome's performance. They are accusations the cyclist and Sky's general manager, Sir Dave Brailsford, have robustly denied.
"For someone to be accused of being a cheat with the venom at times that he has, I think is completely unacceptable," Brailsford said. "The way he has dealt with that has been absolutely first class. He hasn't snapped, he has been patient and tolerant. He understands why maybe people are so venomous. He will be a lot more experienced, wiser and more robust for this experience. He is not at his best yet, for sure."
On the subject of his own plans, Froome was happy to wax lyrical on both his short- and long-term future. After a fortnight of letting what passes for his hair down at assorted criteriums, he will target the rainbow jersey on offer for September's world championship road race, this year a reasonably climber-friendly contest in Tuscany, for which he will prepare in the mountains of Colorado.
"A Tour and world championship double would be amazing," he said. "My focus has just been on the Tour up until now, but being world champ, that's probably the second biggest thing after wearing the yellow jersey."
Unlike his team-mate Bradley Wiggins, having seized the iconic jersey from his rival and team-mate, Froome shows no sign of being willing to relinquish it any time soon. He plans to vigorously prioritise future stagings of the Tour de France over its Spanish and Italian counterparts.
"It is hard to talk too far in advance now, but if I look at my career now and at what my ambitions are as a pro cyclist, to come and target the Tour has got to be the biggest goal," he said. "To be able to do that year after year through your prime period, that has got to be my main focus. This success here has set an amazing platform for me. It would be a shame not to carry that experience forward and use it in future editions."
Throughout his long recent sojourn in yellow, Froome has been quick to credit his team-mates for their contribution to his success, and few did more than Geraint Thomas, who rode heroically through the pain barrier to finish all 21 stages with a fractured pelvis.
"That first week was really tough but I was getting better all the time," said the exultant Welshman. "Seeing Froomey going so well meant I wanted to stick around and be there for the boys and it's an incredible feeling right now." Reported by guardian.co.uk 5 days ago.
• Sir Dave Brailsford still exasperated by the sceptics
By his own admission, Chris Froome is no cycling historian and remains largely ignorant of his sport's long tradition compared with Mark Cavendish and Bradley Wiggins. But if the latest Tour de France winner was in any doubt about the enormity of his achievement, it will have evaporated when he saw the giant Tricolore suspended beneath a beautifully illuminated Arc de Triomphe, this year circumnavigated by the riders for the first time in race history.
Built to honour fighting spirit and victory in battle, as well as France's fallen, it stood proudly as a monument to a peloton comprising 170 bruised and weary, sweat-soaked warriors of the road, led by one man: Froome. "For me, what this represents, the journey I have taken to get here, from where I started, riding on a little mountain bike on dirt roads back in Kenya, to be here right in yellow in the Tour de France, the biggest event on our cycling calendar, it is difficult for me to put into words," he said. "This Tour really has thrown everything at us. It is only fitting for the 100th edition that it really has been a special edition."
Quizzed about the arresting, sequinned yellow, Strictly Come Cycling-style jersey in which he, along with former winners such as Miguel Indurain, Bernard Hinault and Eddie Merckx, were zipped into in honour of the 100th Tour, Froome was suitably chuffed to be in such exalted company. "Yes, that's something," he grinned. "Yeah, they're good company. I couldn't think of any other guys to share that with."
One former champion who was not invited to share in the denouement was Lance Armstrong, whose spectre has inevitably cast a long shadow over the first Tour since his revelations of serial cheating, prompting no end of unwelcome, but understandable accusations from sceptics suspicious of Froome's performance. They are accusations the cyclist and Sky's general manager, Sir Dave Brailsford, have robustly denied.
"For someone to be accused of being a cheat with the venom at times that he has, I think is completely unacceptable," Brailsford said. "The way he has dealt with that has been absolutely first class. He hasn't snapped, he has been patient and tolerant. He understands why maybe people are so venomous. He will be a lot more experienced, wiser and more robust for this experience. He is not at his best yet, for sure."
On the subject of his own plans, Froome was happy to wax lyrical on both his short- and long-term future. After a fortnight of letting what passes for his hair down at assorted criteriums, he will target the rainbow jersey on offer for September's world championship road race, this year a reasonably climber-friendly contest in Tuscany, for which he will prepare in the mountains of Colorado.
"A Tour and world championship double would be amazing," he said. "My focus has just been on the Tour up until now, but being world champ, that's probably the second biggest thing after wearing the yellow jersey."
Unlike his team-mate Bradley Wiggins, having seized the iconic jersey from his rival and team-mate, Froome shows no sign of being willing to relinquish it any time soon. He plans to vigorously prioritise future stagings of the Tour de France over its Spanish and Italian counterparts.
"It is hard to talk too far in advance now, but if I look at my career now and at what my ambitions are as a pro cyclist, to come and target the Tour has got to be the biggest goal," he said. "To be able to do that year after year through your prime period, that has got to be my main focus. This success here has set an amazing platform for me. It would be a shame not to carry that experience forward and use it in future editions."
Throughout his long recent sojourn in yellow, Froome has been quick to credit his team-mates for their contribution to his success, and few did more than Geraint Thomas, who rode heroically through the pain barrier to finish all 21 stages with a fractured pelvis.
"That first week was really tough but I was getting better all the time," said the exultant Welshman. "Seeing Froomey going so well meant I wanted to stick around and be there for the boys and it's an incredible feeling right now." Reported by guardian.co.uk 5 days ago.