Tour de France victor Chris Froome of Britain cycles past the Arc de Triomphe in Paris on Sunday.
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He finished safely at the back of the main pack in the final stage, arm-in-arm with his teammates during the mostly ceremonial leg ending on the cobblestones below the Arc de Triomphe.
Given the recent terror attack in Nice which killed 89 people, Froome reserved kind words for the French people and the possibility of sport to bring people together. “That was imperative to this year’s race given it would be decided in the climbs”. Vive le Tour et vive la France!
Froome marked a processional ride from Chantilly to Paris with beer, rather than the traditional champagne, as race leader on Sunday, flanked by a full quota team he described as the strongest the squad has assembled for the race.
Froome cut both his elbow and right knee in a crash on a downhill section in Friday’s stage.
“For now my focus is on the Tour de France, given it’s such a special race”, he said.
Bardet was runner-up, 4:05 behind, and Colombian Nairo Quintana was third, 4:21 in back of Froome.
Previous Tours have seen Froome dominate in the mountains, his sensational ability to handle the steep gradients and lengthy ascents have set him apart from other GC contenders.
German Greipel, also the victor in Paris 12 months ago, pipped the late-charging world champion Peter Sagan to the line in the traditional sprint on the Champs-Elysees after racing clear of Norway’s Alexander Kristoff on the run-in.
The 2016 Vuelta begins in Ourense, north west Spain, on August 20, 10 days after the Olympic time-trial takes place. Equalling the records of Philippe Thys, Louison Bobet and Greg LeMond who all have three Tour wins under their belts, and becoming Britain’s first three-time victor.
Froome, who also won the Tour in 2013 and 2015, became the first rider to defend the title since Miguel Indurain won the last of his five straight in 1995.
“It would be my dream to keep coming back to the Tour for the next five to six years if I can and give it my best shot”.
After Sunday’s traditional parade into Paris, Froome became the first repeat victor since Indurain in 1995, and seems to have established nearly complete dominance over the Tour with this his third victory in four editions.
Other than the Games, though, Froome said there is no point expecting him to start branching out from his specialities as the Tour remains for him the be all and end all.
A bronze medallist in the event four years ago behind Sir Bradley Wiggins, who has won the Tour that year, the course ought to play to the Briton’s strengths. “I’ve done a lot in terms of offering up my physiological data and trying to be open to people as much as I can while protecting a competitive advantage at the same time”.
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“Chris Froome is a very great champion”, said the Belgian. With teammates like Wout Poels, Sergio Henao, Mikel Landa, and Mikel Nieve, Froome has some of the best climbers of the peloton working for him. “The French public, they make this race what it is”.
