Booed by the locals in Marseille 24 hours earlier, Chris Froome on Sunday charmed huge crowds in Paris with a classy victory speech after claiming his “toughest” Tour de France title.
The British rider was once showered with urine thrown by fans during the 2015 edition before wiping himself down to claim his second title in cycling’s most famous race.
Two years on he has doubled that total after riding into the capital with a 54-second advantage over Colombia’s Rigoberto Uran, with Frenchman Romain Bardet in third place.
Photo: AFP
Froome, 32, now stands just one short of the record five titles achieved by Belgian Eddy Merckx, Spain’s Miguel Indurain and French duo Jacques Anquetil and Bernard Hinault.
While French cyclists might not flock to buy replica Team Sky jerseys any time soon, they are at least beginning to show some respect for Froome’s astonishing achievements.
He looked emotional on the podium after being presented with the yellow jersey that Team Sky held for all but two days of the three-week race, first with Geraint Thomas then with Froome, who held off his rivals with the help of his teammates.
Photo: AFP
“This Tour has been my toughest challenge yet. The performances of my rivals have pushed me harder than ever before,” Froome said, reading from notes that he dropped while addressing the onlookers.
“I want to pay tribute to all the riders for their sportsmanship over the past three weeks,” he said. “We race hard against each other, we suffer together, but the most special thing is the camaraderie and friendship within the peloton.”
Froome, who silenced the boos of the partisan, Bardet-supporting Marseille fans with a time trial that effectively won him the race, failed to take a stage this year — unlike in his victories in 2013, 2015 and last year, when he had bigger winning margins.
Photo: AFP
With teammates such as Mikel Landa, Michal Kwiatkowski and Mikel Nieve relentless at the head of the peloton virtually every day, Froome was never dealt any knockout blows — even if he did look vulnerable in the Pyrenees.
“I want to thank my team, Team Sky,” said Froome, who has signed a new three-year contract with them.
“I could not have achieved this victory without you. On and off the bike, your dedication and passion means this is a team I am proud to be a part of,” he said.
“Each time I’ve won the Tour has been so unique, so different,” Froome said.
“It’s been such a battle to get to this point,” he added.
The battle goes on and next year Froome should be favored to emulate the greats.
“It is an honor even to be mentioned alongside those who formed such an important part of the Tour’s history,” he said.
US track and field athletes have about four dozen pieces to choose from when assembling their uniforms at the Olympics. The one grabbing the most attention is a high-cut leotard that barely covers the bikini line and has triggered debate between those who think it is sexist and others who say they do not need the Internet to make sure they have good uniforms. Among those critical or laughing at the uniforms included Paralympian Femita Ayanbeku, sprinter Britton Wilson and even athletes from other countries such as Britain’s Abigail Irozuru, who wrote on social media: “Was ANY female athlete consulted in
Four-time NBA all-star DeMarcus Cousins arrived in Taiwan with his family early yesterday to finish his renewed contract with the Taiwan Beer Leopards in the T1 League. Cousins initially played a four-game contract with the Leopards in January. On March 18, the Taoyuan-based team announced that Cousins had renewed his contract. “Hi what’s up Leopard fans, I’m back. I’m excited to be back and can’t wait to join the team,” Cousins said in a video posted on the Leopard’s Facebook page. “Most of all, can’t wait to see you guys, the fans, next weekend. So make sure you come out and support the Beer
Former US Masters champion Zach Johnson was left embarrassed after a foul-mouthed response to ironic cheers from spectators after a triple bogey at Augusta National on Friday. Johnson, the 2007 Masters winner, missed the cut after his three-over-par round of 75 left him on seven-over 151 for 36 holes, his six on the par-three 12th playing a big role in his downfall. Television footage showed Johnson reacting to sarcastic cheers and applause when he tapped in for the triple bogey by yelling: “Oh fuck off.” Such a response would be considered bad form in any golf tournament, but is particularly out of keeping
Taiwan’s Lee Jhe-huei and Yang Po-hsuan on Saturday won the men’s doubles bronze medal at the Badminton Asia Championships in Ningbo, China, after they were bested by the hosts in their semi-final. The Taiwanese shuttlers lost to China’s Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang, who advanced to yesterday’s final against Malaysia’s Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzudin. The Chinese pair outplayed Lee and Yang in straight games. Although the Taiwanese got off to a slow start in the first game, they eventually tied it 14-14, before Liang and Wang went on to blow past them to win 21-17. In the second game, Lee and