Chris Froome on his stay in pro peloton: "I'd like to be able to look back and just say I've given it absolutely everything"

Chris Froome was a late starter in the peloton, but has had one of the most roller-coaster careers any pro cyclist could imagine. In 2023 he remains firm and motivated, and he explains the reasons behind his drive.

“A lot of people would say: ‘Why are you doing this? You used to win Grand Tours but now you’re a long way back in the pack.’ But I see it in another way. I was in a hospital bed for weeks after my 2019 crash, it took me almost a year to be able to walk without a limp. And now here I am racing in the highest level of races again," Froome said in an interview with Cyclingnews.

"I just feel like everything from here on is a bonus for me and I see it all in an incredibly positive light. Racing my bike still gives me a lot of joy and happiness. And as long as that's the case, I'm going to keep striving to get back to my old ways.”

The Briton, winner in the past of all Grand Tours including the Tour de France on four occasions was the face of the famous 'Sky Train'. A new method of racing in the mountains, an incredibly strong team with lots of depth, and the all-rounder aspect of stage-racing has been shown at the highest level by Froome. Naturally however as the years went by more competition appeared, but the turning point in his career was the crash.

Froome crashed whilst doing a recon of the 2019 Critérium du Dauphiné time-trial and remained out of competition for eight months. His injuries were only healed several months later however, and only in 2022 did he report to not have nagging pains left as a result of the accident in which he broke multiple bones.

“More than anything, last year proved that I'm not at that point where I was the previous two seasons, where it seemed I wasn't making any headway. Last year was the first time that I was just completely pain-free from the accident, and I felt I was able to make some good progress," he described. "If I can build on that progress this year and hopefully get closer to being up there, where it really counts, that'd be the dream scenario for me.”

Now with Israel - Premiet Tech, Froome looked to be on a higher level, and raced to third at the Tour de France on the stage to Alpe d'Huez, where Tom Pidcock took the win. He looked on track to set himself to an ever higher level for the Vuelta a Espana but was heavily affected by a Covid-19 infection which forced him out of the Tour.

“In terms of the actual workload, the training and everything, that's not harder than ever before. I still enjoy the training, the sacrifice, all that side of the sport. That comes relatively easy, easy for me. I know what I've done to get ready for Grand Tours in the past and I'd like to think if I can apply myself in a similar way, I'd get very close to where I left off," he added.

Now with a new generation and way of racing at the very head of the peloton it has become a whole different task for Froome to be back at the top. He's admitted that is not a realistic ambition, but maintains his desire to get the best out of himself into the goals he creates.

“But it's never just been winning that drives me, it's more about wanting to make the most of this window of opportunity as a professional athlete," he explains. "I know that in ten years’ time I won't be racing my bike and I'd like to be able to look back and just say I've given it absolutely everything. To be able to walk away from the sport eventually with no regrets."

The 37-year old intends on racing until he's 40 and has begun his season at the Tour Down Under. He recently headlined the Tour du Rwanda, where he was within a shot of victory on a mountainous stage until he punctured twice and crashed out of contention.

“The biggest thing about last season was to have a spell of a few months where I didn't have any injuries and I didn't have any sickness. I did some good training, good nutrition and got back to the basics. Now I just need to keep going, keep working and keep racing," he concluded.