And while he accepts Froome has a more challenging proposition on his hands, he reckons his old Team Sky teammate will win at least one gold medal in Brazil.
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Chris Froome claimed his third outright Tour de France victory, also defending last year’s title.
The stage was finally won by Lotto Soudal sprinter Andre Greipel with Froome safely crossing the line arm in arm with his team-mates. It’s such an incredible event and to be in the yellow jersey is every cyclist’s dream and the biggest honour in our sport. “I imagine it will give him a lot of motivation to come back next year and fight for victory”.
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.
Yesterday’s largely ceremonial final stage began with Froome riding alongside 23-year-old Adam Yates – fourth overall and Britain’s first victor of the Best Young Riders ranking – as well as the leaders of the other classifications at the head of the pack.
Tour organizers did their part to make the race more open.
Porte, who rode last year’s Tour as Froome’s superdomestique at Sky, praised his old training partner.
Froome has not competed in the United Kingdom since the Grand Depart of the 2014 Tour de France, when the first three stages were held in England.
Speaking alongside Brailsford and team-mate Geraint Thomas, Froome said: “I’ve had to put up with these two laughing at me for the last two weeks”. The rider nicknamed “The Gorilla” won four stages previous year.
Froome’s victory was arguably the easiest of his three so far, after the riders who had been expected to push him the hardest all fell out of contention early as a result of either injury, illness, poor form or bad luck.
He took the race lead after an unexpected attack on the descent into the finish at Bagneres de Luchon on stage eight and extended his lead with a similarly surprising attack in crosswinds with Sagan on stage 11.
Froome was able to finish safely inside the peloton to successfully defend the title he earned previous year and secure the overall victory for the third time in his career.
The other was the sight of Froome running to the finishing line on the iconic Mont Ventoux after his bike was broken in a crash with a motorcycle.
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Elected the super combative rider of the Tour, world champion Peter Sagan livened up the race on a daily basis with his bold attacks and breakaways.
