The UK’s Chris Froome won his first Tour de France title on Sunday after winning three stages of the prestigious road race. He finished the race four minutes and 20 seconds ahead of the field.
This year’s Tour was the 100th running of the event. After his victory, Froome vowed his victory wouldn’t be stripped by doping, as Lance Armstrong’s seven titles were last year.
The British rider was able to dominate the race over three grueling weeks and dealt with doping suspicions as a result, reports ESPN. But after claiming the yellow jersey, Froome asserted, “This is one yellow jersey that will stand the test of time.”
Chris Froome’s victory was the second for Britain in as many years. Bradley Wiggins won last year’s competition. This year, Froome dedicated the win to his mother, Jane, who died in 2008. He stated, “Without her encouragement to follow my dreams I would probably be at home watching Tv.”
But he wasn’t. Chris Froome won the lead on Stage 8 in the Pyrenees and never gave it back. He fended off several rivals whose constant challenges gave spectators something to watch. As they rode for the line, Froome and his teammates linked arms.
Froome’s first mentor, Kenyan cycling champion David Kinjah, recalled the Tour de France champion’s drive, even in the rural highlands of Kenya, where Froome grew up. CNN notes that he recalled that the Team Sky champ would want to compete on every training ride . And when he “decided he wanted to compete the whole 100km he would do exactly that.”
It was likely that competitive drive that landed him on top of the world’s best road cycling race. Chris Froome added of his win:
“For me, what this represents — the journey I’ve taken to get here from where I started, riding on a little mountain bike back on dirt roads in Kenya. To be right here, the yellow jersey at the Tour de France… it’s difficult for me to put into words.”
Despite his assertions that doping was not involved in his win, Chris Froome will likely be tested extensively after his Tour de France win.
[Image by Thortuk via Wikimedia Commons ]
