2013 champ will continue to focus on the Tour de France and look to boost the credibility of the sport
Chris Froome (Sky Procycling) will continue to target Tour de France titles, hoping that if he can repeat in 2014, it will further add to the credibility of the sport and put the big doping scandals of the past further into it.
In comments made to BBC Sport, Froome acknowledged that some members of the cycling public were doubtful of his performance this year, and of team-mate Bradley Wiggins’ Tour win in 2012. But Froome says he will move forward toward his title defense with the knowledge that none of his results will be removed, and he plans to continue to target the Tour as long as his motivation is high enough and he is able to do so.
Froome’s exploits of 2013 got him named as a candidate for BBC Sports Personality of the Year. He won 13 races on the season, many of them being overall titles of big events. Overall, Froome took victory in the Tour of Oman, Critérium International, Tour de Romandie, Critérium du Dauphiné, and the Tour de France, while finishing second at Tirreno-Adriatico as well. The early Italian stage race was the only contest in which he won a stage but not the overall, Vincenzo Nibali (Astana) having held him off for that one by 23 seconds.
The two are scheduled to face off in next year’s Tour de France.
“It’s a great honour to be included, especially given the strong year British sport has had,” Froome told BBC Sport regarding his nomination for the Sports Personality prize. “It’s a prestigious award and it says so much for the emergence of our sport that a cyclist has managed to win it for three of the last five years.”
The Nairobi-born Brit is hoping that a second Tour win will boost the belief in him and his team. “I’d like to think if I can go back and do it again it will bring some credibility back to the sport,” Froome said. “I know for a fact some people were dubious about the results I got last season, and Bradley the year before.”
It was the way that he so emphatically stamped his authority on certain mountain stages that led to some questions, but in the end, Froome fended off attacks from many directions while keeping his blemishes to a minimum. He eventually wore down runner-up Nairo Quintana (Movistar) in the mountains to win by 4’20”.
Afterward, Froome saw some of the scrutiny to which a Tour de France winner is subjected.
“I know myself that my results aren’t going to be stripped, but it will take time before people will see they are going to stand,” Froome acknowledged. “I think we’re through the toughest time of it now.
“It is really a minority of riders breaking the rules now and getting caught, but we are still living in that post-doping era where we are having to deal with a lot of negativity.”
As he readies for a third consecutive Tour run, and third straight podium finish, Froome said that a big hurdle is going through the process to get ready.
“The biggest goal and challenge for me is going to be to try to re-focus myself on the Tour de France year after year. I’d like to think I’m going to carry on riding it for as long as I can find the motivation and as long as I’m physically up for it,” he concluded.