In Chris We Trust


EDWARD PICKERING -  Editor
Procycling UK - ISSUE 258 / AUGUST 2019

Have we seen the last of Chris Froome as a Tour winner, even as a racing cyclist? When news of Froome’s injuries from a training crash at the Dauphiné emerged, my initial reaction was that they looked career-threatening. It’s not just the injuries - broken femur, ribs, neck, sternum and elbow. It’s the stage of his life and career as well. A young rider would have time to rebuild and restart their career, while Froome is 34. Only one rider older than 34 has won the Tour, and that was in 1922 (Firmin Lambot, 36). Age wouldn’t have been on the Brit’s side going into this year’s Tour. Going into next year’s after a long and complex rehab will be a new ball game. That said,I know not to write him off. He doesn’t have to come back - he’s made his money and his reputation. But he will. Or at least he’ll put everything into trying. 

I also wonder if the cycling world will learn to love Chris Froome. Of course, he has many fans. But I also encounter a lot of people who tell me they feel that Froome is distant and unengaging. I can understand that - in my experience he is always polite and is a clever man. But he’s built an effective wall around himself by not giving much away. 

Of course, his racing style has been on the conservative side, save for last year’s spectacular Giro win. That also turns off aesthetically inclined cycling fans.I’ve often wished he would cut loose more often, though I did enjoy his 2016 Tour win, with its crosswind escapes, running on Ventoux and crazy descents. But he wants to win the Tour, and he makes it as straightforward as possible to do so. 

So, watch him over the next year. I think this comeback is going to be the hardest challenge of his career. Ironically, it may also gain him a lot of admirers, although it’s not the way you’d choose to do this. He’s already an era-defining champion. Just to return will be a win in itself, but if he can contend at the Tour, it’ll confirm him as a champion for the ages.

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