Froome won’t rest on laurels as Brit targets further Tours
TOUR de France champion Chris Froome insists winning cycling’s most famous race has only heightened his appetite for claiming the title multiple times.
Froome, who sealed his first yellow jersey in Paris on Sunday evening, is also targeting a historic victory at this year’s World Championship road race.
But the Kenya-born Briton has played down Team Sky boss Sir Dave Brailsford’s talk that he could become the first man to win the Tour more than five times.
The mountainous route of the Tour’s 100th edition had long been tipped to favour Froome, but he is confident of repeating his success no matter the race’s course.
“I’d like to think I’m well balanced. I can time trial reasonably, I can climb pretty well. I can’t see what else they can put in the Tour that I’d struggle with so I’d like to think I can come back every year,” he said.
“This success has set an amazing platform for me. Everything I’ve done building up to here has been a massive learning experience – as much as this Tour itself has been. It would be a shame not to carry that experience forward and use it in future editions.”
The 28-year-old’s immediate target is to win the road race at September’s World Championships in Florence, and become the first Briton to triumph in both that and the Tour in the same year.
“My focus has been on the Tour but being world champ is probably the second biggest thing,” added Froome, who yesterday received a new sports car to mark his win.
Brailsford has been quick to predict that Froome’s Tour victory could just be the start of an era of dominance for the man who last year finished second to team-mate Sir Bradley Wiggins.
“I think he has all the makings of a multiple champion,” he said. “He is not at his best yet. He can reach better physical condition than he is in now.”
Froome, however, is still refusing to dream of matching the three men who have won the Tour five times, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault and Miguel Indurain.
“As long as I’m hungry for it and have the motivation and physical ability I’ll go for it,” he said. “But I’m not looking to better anyone else in the past or outdo anyone else.”