Chris Froome fondly recalls Vuelta a España battles and fans: "They welcomed me warmly and passionately. Why? I don't know, honestly"
Cycling
Chris Froome had hoped to race the Tour de France this year but was not selected. Ever since, he has just been filling in the calendar where the team asks him to; but hopes to return still next year. At the end of the Vuelta a España, he talked with the Spanish media, recalling some of his most memorable moments in the race.
"I am very grateful to the Spanish public for the way they always treated me. They welcomed me warmly and passionately. Why? I don't know, honestly," Froome admits in an interview with Relevo. "Maybe because they appreciated the spectacle we put on together and the offensive style I always tried to display in La Vuelta." Froome first popped out in the scene at the 2011 Vuelta where he finished second to Juan José Cobo (although he was later handed the win), but came back back in 2017 to take the victory.
Inbetween were other attempts to win the Spanish Grand Tour... He talks about the 2014 race in which he was defeated by Alberto Contador. "They made that Vuelta so hard for me. I had just retired from the Tour de France due to a fall and I remember that the race was a constant battle with the Spanish, and especially with Contador, who was stronger than me. I tried to beat him in every way possible, especially in Ancares, and I couldn't."
"Every time things got selective, the same four of us were left in front," he refers also to Alejandro Valverde and Joaquím Rodríguez. The trio is made of some of the most popular Spanish riders, but Froome's popularity rivalled theirs in their home ground. "I didn't understand how the public could support me, how they could shout my name, being the foreigner. It was a very pleasant surprise. Then I realized that they were simply enjoying the race we were offering them."
He does not know if he will race again in 2025: "I'm still waiting for them to give me the calendar," he says; and regarding his final career goal? "To ride the Tour again and win a race again, although I know it's difficult."
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Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
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- the headline is poorly written too. it makes it sound like their plan is to simply wait until he stops.mij13-11-2026
- It doesnt take a genius to understand that Pogi is 1 level above and Pogi is younger that Jonas, so Jonas will not win under ordinary circumstances. Pogi has to crack hard for Jonas to win. It doesn't matter whether you defend Jonas or not , facts remain facts. Jonas himself says his numbers are better than 2022/2023, so Jonas is more or less optimized and we are just see the stochastic variation due to other factors. I think he will retire along with Pedersen in WC denmarkabstractengineer13-11-2026
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- your clinging to the past. Jonas was dropped by del toro many times last year and jonas never managed a climbing numers del toro did in dauphine last year -entire year. Trend is also evident theres no discussion your living in the past, its beent he same with jonas for many years now and only developing, meanwhile del toro is rising and developing greatly. This is all obvious stuff and im not even a del toro fan. No point discussing numbers or this i suspect you dont watch much now but rather think its 2022 still cause this aint hard.miguel13-11-2026
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- What wins? Are you LA operating under a pseudonym?mij13-11-2026
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