Chris Froome is already looking forward to defending the yellow jersey in next year’s Tour de France – just a day after wrapping up his third win.
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“Initially a seemingly quixotic project to transform Britain into a cycling power, Sky has now won three of the last four Tours”, reported The New York Times. “It can not get better than winning on the Champs-Elysees”.
Andre Greipel of Germany won the 21st and last stage over the mostly flat 70-mile leg that concluded with eight laps of a circuit in downtown Paris, finishing on the cobblestones below the Arc de Triomphe.
Next up for Thomas is a little break before the Olympics where he will be supporting Froome in his bid to add a Gold medal to his palmares in Rio in a couple of weeks. Vive le Tour, Vive la France, ” Froome told the crowd in French during the trophy ceremony, referring to the recent attacks in Paris and Nice.
“Even though this is now my third victory, each one is so special, it could be the first one all over again, and I was going to fight for it just as hard, if not even harder, because I know how special it is”.
He will take part in the road race and time trial events at Rio 2016, and is hoping to find success in Brazil.
Froome finished the race with a margin of victory of four minutes and five seconds ahead of AG2R La Mondiale’s Romain Bardet, only the third Frenchman in 20 years to finish second as the race awaits its first home victor since Hinault in 1985.
Team Sky rode the Tour more aggressively than any of their previous wins and team principal Brailsford enjoyed it so much he is already looking forward to next year’s race.
Seconds later, however, Froome’s teammates arrived on the scene.
Mark Cavendish, the British sprinter who won four stages in this Tour, abandoned the race before the Alps.
He said: “I had the benefit of coming home and then driving down to London nine days later to do the Olympic Games, whereas those guys have got to travel to another continent to get ready for it”.
“Now British fans have the chance to watch him in action and cheer on the man who has achieved the incredible feat of three Tour de France wins”.
You might not have heard of Adam Yates before – but he’s set to become a huge star in cycling after winning the White Jersey competition at the Tour de France.
Being forced to run up the Mont Ventoux mid-Tour when his bike was wrecked and he fell in a crash proved, said Froome, how hungry he was for another victory in the Tour.
“Romain has been riding an extremely good race here”, Froome said. I had no doubts, I looked for my team-mates, my friends.
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Out of respect for the Nice victims, Froome refused to discuss race details the day after the attack.
