Chris Froome: "When I learned the doping truth, I stopped having role models and tried to do things my way"

Chris Froome has discussed many topics in a recent interview and between those was his return to the Tour de France and hopes he carries, aswell as talking about his idols and how doping affected the way he's seen cycling.

“Fighting the young guns is getting harder and harder. But I still have a lot of motivation and feel that I can still achieve something. I haven’t said the last word yet," the Briton said in an interview with RoadCycling.cz. He's discussed a possible return to the Giro d'Italia and his first race of the season which should take place at the Tour Down Under, however he remains firm on his main goals.

Part of an older generation, and having been for several years struggling with form following his horrific injuries suffered at the 2019 Critérium du Dauphiné, Froome has gained a new position in the peloton, far from the lowest odds to win races. However he's admitted to enjoy the preparation, and towards the Tour de France this season he's shown his best-ever level ever since.

“It may not be enough to match the level of Pogačar or Vingegaard because the sport changes and so does the racing style. My hope is to see how the older guys are doing, how Geraint Thomas was still third in the Tour, how Valverde and Nibali were still able to win races," he continued.

However most interesting was his response to who were his idols in cycling whilst growing up. “I had a few role models growing up. But I think it was a different era. And when I learned the doping truth, I stopped having role models and tried to do things my way," Froome answered.

Having turned pro in 2007, he grew up watching the likes of Lance Armstrong and other since-disgraced athletes compete for the Tour de France and many other events, which has caused him to have a different feel towards the riders above than what is currently the case. "...I think it’s an unfortunate part of cycling history, but it will forever be a part of it. So I chose not to have patterns from that part of history," he says.

Having himself become one of the most marking figures in the last decade in cycling, he has also became the idol of many riders, who have in recent years turned pro. He shares: “It’s a bit of a strange feeling when a 20-year-old boy is racing with me, we’re riding somewhere in the middle of the peloton, and he tells me: ‘You’re my idol'".

"At the same time, for example, he attacks and I have to pedal to keep up with him. But it’s nice to see that you can influence someone," Froome concluded.