Chris Froome begs cycling fans to trust him – after Team Sky’s reputation gets dragged through the mud
CHRIS FROOME has begged cycling fans to trust him – despite Team Sky’s reputation going flying over the handlebars.
As he declared his desire to win FIVE Tour de France titles, Froome was battered by questions about Dave Brailsford’s cycling outfit, even though the 31-year-old he has done nothing wrong.
Sky supremo Brailsford has been involved in a string of controversies after a hack by Fancy Bears in September and had been ducking for cover until he was grilled by MPs last month.
Keep up to date with ALL the latest cycling news, gossip and rumours
But Froome distanced himself from the PR farce that also involves Bradley Wiggins, a series of TUEs allegedly using needles – against Sky’s policy – and a ‘jiffy bag’ that contained a decongestant Fluimucil.
Now the Kenya-born Brit wants to win his fourth and fifth Tour titles in front of fans who have spat on and thrown urine at him in the past.
Froome said: “My values haven’t changed. I’ve always been very focussed in terms of my stance on doping my stance on riding clean showing people that it is possible to win the Tour de France clean.
“To win multiple Tour de Frances clean and that’s what I’m going to continue to do going forward.
“Dave himself has put his hand up and said he has made mistakes, I think if you look at what Dave has actually done, the team he has put together I think we’ve got a great group of guys with values in the right place and I think we’re all focussed on everything that is coming up.
“We’ve all been told what was in the package. To be honest, all this stuff it doesn’t really matter – I’m a bike rider, I’m focussed on everything else.
“Obviously UKAD investigation is ongoing and we’ll probably have more answers when they come to the end of that.
“I only know as much as everyone else. I haven’t been involved in the UKAD investigation.
As for Fluimucil, Froome admitted he had taken the legal decongestant through a needle during his time at Barloworld between 2008 and 2009 – before the UCI banned needles in 2011.
He said: “That was part of the recovery before the ‘no needles’ came in. Fluimucil was one of the things that was being [administered]. Amino acids I think, anti-oxidants, Fluimucil was one of them.”
The Tour is still the holy grail and three-time winner Froome appears to have an unshakeable stranglehold on the race – even though Colombian rival Nairo Quintana has been breathing down his neck for years.
He added: “Looking ahead to this year, it’s going to be one of the critical steps for me to cement my place in the cycling world.
“To try to get up there with the likes of the greats, the guys who have won five Tour titles: Indurain, Merckx, Hinault.
“That’s going to be my objective over the next few years, to try to get up there with those guys.
“Last season was a big season. A very ambitious season with the Tour, then the Olympics and the Vuelta in there.
“Obviously the Tour went according to plan and everything. But tough time in the Vuelta.
“That is a race I have been chasing for a while so to come second for a third time was bittersweet. I’m always grateful to be standing on a podium but I was really hoping for a win. But I can’t be disappointed with last year and how it’s worked out.”
As for the lack of Sports Personality nomination, Froome joked he may have to raise the bar and win all THREE Grand Tours, the Giro, Tour and Vuelta, to take home the BBC gong.
He quipped: “If anything it is testament to how strong a year we had in British sport last year, not least with all the success we had in Rio.
“But maybe I’ll have to try to win all three grand tours next year to get nominated. I was touched by the public response in that regard.
“So many people got in touch and showing their support in that regard. But I think it has been a really strong year for British sport in general. There were already three or four cyclists on the list.”