Chris Froome: "It’s extremely impressive seeing these younger guys, like Rodriguez, like Ayuso. Spain’s future talent is definitely safe"

Former Tour de France champion Chris Froome believes the future of cycling is very bright for Spain with its talented peloton, including riders like Juan Ayuso and Carlos Rodriguez.

“It’s extremely impressive seeing these younger guys, like Rodriguez, like Ayuso,” Froome said. Despite his young age, Juan Ayuso has already finished third in the GC of his first grand tour, which is an impressive achievement. He praised them for their maturity at such a young age. “They’ve shown such maturity at such a young age and riding classification already; it just seems like a theme that we’re seeing in modern-day cycling with a lot of these youngsters. They’re turning professional, and then within one or two years, they are able to perform at the highest level.”

Froome has been riding professionally for more than 15 years, which means he saw the transition of cycling as a sport during his journey. He theorizes that improvement in nutrition and access to professional coaching is a major contributor to success. “I think that’s because they have access to nutrition, coaching, and basically everything that the professionals have but from a very young age of around 15 or 16. So when these guys are turning professional at the age of 20, they’re ready to go, and they’re ready to race with the rest of us. It’s an interesting dynamic and an interesting shift. Spain’s future talent is definitely safe,” Froome concluded..