Countdown to the Tour de France: 9 days | Chris Froome’s greatest moments and rivals featuring Mont Ventoux and Bradley Wiggins

In today’s Tour de France article, we’re looking at the legendary Tour career of Chris Froome, one of the defining riders of the Tour de France in the past decade. Whilst the rider we have seen in recent years is a shell of his former self, at his best, Froome was one of the greats.

The Kenyan-born Brit accumulated four Tour de France titles (2013, 2015, 2016, 2017) among his seven Grand Tour victories, dominating multiple editions of cycling’s marquee race. At the height of his powers in the 2010s, there were seasons when Froome was unstoppable. His Tour reign featured emphatic stage wins, clever race tactics, and intense duels with a host of supremely talented rivals. As we count down to the upcoming Tour, let’s look back at Froome’s greatest Tour de France moments and the rivals who challenged him along the way.

Let’s take a closer look.

Chris Froome’s first major impact on the Tour came as a supporting rider, albeit one visibly and controversially stronger than his leader at times. In 2012, Froome was the super domestique for Sir Bradley Wiggins, who was en route to becoming Britain’s first Tour de France winner.

Froome’s climbing endurance was on full display; he even won a mountain stage at La Planche des Belles Filles(Stage 7) and ultimately finished second overall behind Wiggins. The defining image of that Tour was Froome dropping Wiggins on Stage 11 to La Toussuire, before being instructed by Team Sky to wait for his captain.

Froome’s acceleration 4 km from the summit left Wiggins struggling to keep pace until the team car intervened, underscoring the delicate dynamic within Sky. Froome dutifully sat up and helped pace Wiggins for the rest of the climb, but the incident hinted at underlying tension. “No mutiny… not now,” Froome said coyly when asked about that moment.

In the end, Froome’s loyalty helped deliver Wiggins the win, the first British Tour winner, but the La Toussuire episode demonstrated Froome’s Tour-winning potential. It set the stage for an uneasy rivalry with Wiggins, but that was one that never truly materialized on the road again, as Wiggins bowed out of Tour competition thereafter, paving the way for Froome.

By the 2013 Tour de France, Froome had emerged as Sky’s clear leader, and he faced off against one of the sport’s established champions: Alberto Contador. Contador, a two-time Tour winner returning from suspension, was touted as Froome’s biggest threat.

But Froome firmly seized control of the 100th Tour, delivering a commanding performance that many saw as a changing of the guard. His most iconic moment came on Mont Ventoux in Stage 15, where Froome launched a devastating solo attack that left both Contador and a young Nairo Quintana in his wake.

Such was the effort that Froome needed oxygen at the summit finish, having pushed himself to the limit, and seemingly beyond. That day, Contador simply could not respond to Froome’s accelerations, and the Spaniard was defeat. Froome’s dominance was comprehensive that year, and he would go on to win the 2013 Tour by 4 minutes 20 seconds over runner-up Quintana.

If any rival truly pushed Froome to his limits at the Tour, it was Nairo Quintana. The Colombian climber and Froome engaged in a spirited rivalry spanning multiple Tours, with Quintana coming closest to toppling Froome.

Their first encounter was in 2013, where the then-rookie Quintana animated the mountain stages but ultimately couldn’t crack Froome’s grip on the race. Quintana did finish a remarkable second overall in 2013, though Froome’s winning margin was comfortable.

Fast forward to the 2015 Tour de France, and the Froome–Quintana duel reached its dramatic peak. Froome started that Tour in blazing form (even taking a solo stage win on La Pierre-Saint-Martin), but Quintana bided his time until the brutal Alpine finales. On the penultimate Stage 20 to Alpe d’Huez, Quintana launched a late attack, and the Movistar rider clawed back significant time, forcing Froome to dig deep to defend the yellow jersey.

As they ascended the famed 21 hairpins of Alpe d’Huez, Froome was isolated with only one teammate left and “was not on his best day.” Quintana’s uphill charge cut Froome’s lead to just 1 minute 12 seconds by the finish in a seriously close call.

Froome’s ability to limit his losses with the help of his team was just enough to secure his second Tour win the next day. In the final tally, Quintana was runner-up to Froome by that 1’12” margin, having truly tested him in the Alps. Froome later acknowledged Quintana as one of his fiercest Tour rivals, and indeed, Quintana finished second to Froome twice (2013 and 2015) and never stopped trying to unseat him. Their battles in the high mountains, Froome in yellow, Quintana in Movistar blue, became a hallmark of the mid-2010s Tours. While Quintana ultimately never beat Froome at the Tour, he succeeded in pushing Froome to deliver some of his best performances.

Another Grand Tour titan of Froome’s era was Vincenzo Nibali, known as “The Shark of Messina.” Nibali’s direct Tour de France confrontations with Froome had a mix of misfortune and true head to head battles.

In 2014, Nibali took full advantage of Froome’s early race crash and abandonment. With the defending champion out, Nibali dominated that Tour, claiming the yellow jersey and finishing 7 minutes ahead of the field. Froome’s absence meant we didn’t see a head-to-head that year, but Nibali’s emphatic victory highlighted that he was a rival capable of winning cycling’s biggest prize when Froome faltered.

The following 2015 Tour provided a more direct Froome–Nibali encounter. Nibali was the reigning champion, but a tough first week put him on the back foot as Froome soared into the lead. Refusing to go quietly, Nibali launched a bold Alpine offensive in the race’s final days. On Stage 19 to La Toussuire, the Italian attacked on the Col de la Croix de Fer and soloed to a win, salvaging his Tour with a prestigious stage victory, although he still missed out on the podium.

Froome, hindered by a brief mechanical problem during Nibali’s attack, momentarily appeared vulnerable as Nibali rode away. Froome lost some time by the finish, and tensions flared when he confronted Nibali for attacking at the moment of his mechanical issue. Yet, despite the time Froome conceded to Quintana and Nibali, he remained securely in yellow.

In the end, Nibali’s charge only earned him fourth overall in 2015, but his stage win demonstrated his fighting spirit. Froome himself always spoke with respect about Nibali’s capabilities, counting him among the rivals who “need the same level of respect” in a Tour GC battle.

While Nibali never beat a full-strength Froome at the Tour (his 2014 title came in Froome’s absence), he remains the only other rider of that generation to have won all three Grand Tours. The Froome vs Nibali narrative is one of mutual respect and what-ifs, as we rarely saw them go head-to-head for the title due to crashes and calendar choices, but when the opportunity arose, the Shark did not hesitate to attack Froome in his own waters.

Throughout Froome’s reign, French fans yearned for a home hero to dethrone him. The closest they came was Romain Bardet, who emerged as France’s best Tour GC contender during Froome’s dominance.

In 2016, Bardet provided a dramatic late twist in the Alps. Froome had been in commanding form, even unveiling an unconventional downhill attack to win Stage 8, and held a comfortable lead. But on a rainy Stage 19 in the Alps, Froome hit a patch of slick tarmac and crashed on a descent, briefly opening the door for his rivals.

Sensing an opportunity, Bardet attacked on the penultimate climb and went on to win the stage in Saint-Gervais. As Froome remounted (borrowing a teammate’s bike) and fought to limit the damage, Bardet’s bold move thrilled the French fans. He soared to the stage victory, and jumped up to second overall. For a moment, it seemed Froome could be in peril, but his class and Sky team support shone through.

Froome, banged up but unbowed, finished that stage not far behind Bardet’s group, conceding only minimal time, and his sizable cushion meant the maillot jaune was never truly slipping away. In the end, Bardet settled for second place in Paris, 4 minutes 5 seconds behind Froome.

Bardet’s Alpine ambush, however, proved that Froome could be forced into defensive mode, and Bardet allowed French fans to dream once more.

Again in 2017, Bardet animated the battle, winning a Pyrenean stage and finishing third overall, though Froome’s triumph that year was more about managing multiple small threats (Bardet, Rigoberto Urán, and others) than any single rival. Still, Bardet’s aggressive descending and attacking style earned him podiums in back-to-back Tours.

Along with compatriot Thibaut Pinot (third in 2014) and others, he carried French hopes against Froome. Yet Froome always found an answer, whether via a dominating time trial or an immediate counter-attack, he kept the home nation waiting for a successor to Bernard Hinault. Bardet’s efforts cemented him as a top rival in Froome’s Tour journey, even if he couldn’t break the Sky stronghold, but at least the Frenchman finally donned yellow for a stage in 2024.

By 2018, Froome had four Tour titles and was chasing an elusive fifth, a quest to join the all-time greats. However, the biggest challenge to Froome’s ambitions that year came from within Team Sky itself: Geraint Thomas. The Welsh rider, long a loyal lieutenant, hit peak form and took the 2018 Tour de France by storm.

Froome, fresh off an exhausting Giro d’Italia win earlier that summer, arrived a bit below his absolute best. Thomas capitalized, seizing the yellow jersey in the Alps (with back-to-back stage wins on La Rosière and Alpe d’Huez) while Froome found himself playing catch-up.

Suddenly, the team leadership question was front and center. Froome and Thomas handled it with professionalism, both insisting the road would decide, and it did. In the final week, Froome had a rough day in the Pyrenees (Stage 17) and slipped behind Thomas and Dutchman Tom Dumoulin on GC.

Realizing his own bid for a fifth Tour was over, Froome made a gracious decision: he openly committed to help Thomas secure the win. “My hopes are over… G has ridden such an amazing race, he deserves to be in yellow,” Froome said, vowing to support his teammate to Paris.

It was a remarkable scene, the four-time champion riding in service of another. Froome ultimately finished third overall, while Geraint Thomas rode into Paris as the 2018 Tour champion. The complex dynamic with Wiggins in 2012 had ended in some acrimony, but with Thomas, Froome struck a far more harmonious chord. He was genuinely happy for his friend’s success and even helped pace Thomas on key stages when needed.

In doing so, Froome further cemented his legacy, showing that he was still very much a team player. Thomas’s victory also marked the end of an era: it was the first Tour Froome started and didn’t win since 2012. While he didn’t ever come close again to that fifth Tour title, Froome’s 2018 performance (which included an aggressive ride to third place after a grueling Giro) demonstrated his leadership.

Chris Froome’s Tour de France journey is defined not only by his four victories but also by the rivals who provoked him to greatness. From the internal tension with Wiggins, to duels with fellow Grand Tour champions Contador and Nibali, to the relentless climbing assaults of Quintana and the courageous attacks of Bardet and others, Froome continually found ways to prevail.

Regardless of the rider you see today, Froome in the 2010s was the best GC rider out there, and that is the version of him that his fans should remember.