Chris Froome struggled for form then crashed, but the Briton looks ready just in time to compete for a second Tour de France title, although micromanagers Team Sky will struggle to control the race like they usually do.
Froome, who claimed the 2013 Tour having won almost every race he entered in the buildup to the three-week extravaganza, took a rockier road this year before taking overall victory in the Criterium du Dauphine, the prestigious warm-up for the Tour.
A couple of trademark late attacks in the final climbs helped him beat Tejay van Garderen of the US, while defending Tour champion Vincenzo Nibali was still struggling for fitness.
Before he got there, Froome was forced to skip the Tirreno-Adriatico week-long race in March because of illness and looked lost in the Tour of Catalunya later that month, before crashing in the Fleche Wallonne classic in April.
“I definitely feel as if I had a slower buildup to the Tour this year, I don’t necessarily think it’s a bad thing. I’m exactly where I need to be,” said Froome, who achieved the Dauphine/Tour double in 2013.
He picked himself up in the Tour de Romandie, finishing third overall, and looked closer to his awe-inspiring best on the Dauphine.
“There are still one or two little things to touch on, but things are looking good,” he said.
To help Froome win the Dauphine, Team Sky rode hard to contain attacks and provide their leader with the perfect launching pad for his late accelerations.
However, that might be not possible on the Tour, where a unique set of aggressive riders is to assemble at the start in Utrecht.
He is to face old rival Alberto Contador, who will use every opportunity to wear down the Sky machine, but also Colombian Nairo Quintana, France’s Thibaut Pinot and Nibali — all offensive riders who have never been at their best all together at the start of the Tour, which should be the case this year.
Froome, who abandoned the race when he crashed in the fifth stage last year, was exposed on the Dauphine once when Nibali’s attacking flair meant he and Van Garderen missed the winning move in a rain-hit mountain stage.
When Sky are taken out of their comfort zone — which does not happen very often — they look more vulnerable and their rivals’ attitude should be key to Froome’s chances.
However, one thing he cannot rely on is a private motorhome, which teammate Richie Porte benefited from on the Giro d’Italia, to avoid dodgy hotels, as the International Cycling Union has banned its use “to reaffirm absolute fairness between all riders.”
Shohei Ohtani and Clayton Kershaw on Friday joined their Los Angeles Dodgers teammates in sticking their fists out to show off their glittering World Series rings at a ceremony. “There’s just a lot of excitement, probably more than I can ever recall with the Dodger fan base and our players,” manager Dave Roberts said before Los Angeles rallied to beat the Detroit Tigers 8-5 in 10 innings. “What a way to cap off the first two days of celebrations,” Roberts said afterward. “By far the best opening week I’ve ever experienced. I just couldn’t have scripted it any better.” A choir in the
After fleeing Sudan when civil war erupted, Al-Hilal captain Mohamed Abdelrahman and his teammates have defied the odds to reach the CAF Champions League quarter-finals. They are today to face title-holders Al-Ahly of Egypt in Cairo, with the return match in the Mauritanian capital, Nouakchott, on Tuesday next week. Al-Hilal and biggest domestic rivals Al-Merrikh relocated to Mauritania after a power struggle broke out in April 2023 between the Sudanese army and a paramilitary force. The civil war has claimed tens of thousands of lives and displaced more than 12 million people, according to the UN. The Democratic Republic of the Congo-born Al-Hilal
The famously raucous Hong Kong Sevens are to start today in a big test for a shiny new stadium at the heart of a major US$3.85 billion sports park in the territory. Officials are keeping their fingers crossed that the premier event in Hong Kong’s sporting and social calendar goes off without a hitch at the 50,000-seat Kai Tak Stadium. They hope to entice major European soccer teams to visit in the next few months, with reports in December last year saying that Liverpool were in talks about a pre-season tour. Coldplay are to perform there next month, all part of Hong Kong’s
Shohei Ohtani, Teoscar Hernandez and Tommy Edman on Thursday smashed home runs to give the reigning World Series champions the Los Angeles Dodgers a 5-4 victory over Detroit on the MLB’s opening day in the US. The Dodgers, who won two season-opening games in Tokyo last week, raised their championship banner on a day when 28 clubs launched the season in the US. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts shuffled his batting lineup with all four leadoff hitters finally healthy as Ohtani was followed by Mookie Betts, then Hernandez and Freddie Freeman in the cleanup spot, switching places with Hernandez. “There’s a Teoscar tax to
RSS