Froome to ride week-long stage-race in South Africa

From the 17th to the 24 of September, Chris Froome will be riding a new Mountain Bike event which he has revealed in a recent interview. The Briton will be focusing on his road season and the Tour de France beforehand, and won't go with a competitive mindset into "The Migration".

“I definitely won’t be looking at my number numbers while I’m there, I’ll definitely be keeping my eyes peeled for any wildlife in the bushes. Kevin Pietersen is coming along but he might need an electric bike to keep up," Froome said in an interview with VeloNews.

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The eight stage mountain-bike event will travel through the territory of South Africa, in the borders with Zimbabwe and Mozambique.

“But there’s a big drive around the event to help raise awareness around the conservation initiative. That’s a big deal for me,.. They’ve never allowed this before in Kruger National park. They’ve never allowed mountain bikes through there before. The organizers have managed to get special permission so it could be a one-off. I’ve been to the Kruger National park as a kid but I never dreamed of riding through there before," he added.

“I’m not going as a team. I’ll float from peloton to peloton and ride with different groups each day. Factor released a new mountain bike this week too, which I’m looking forward to riding. It’s more like a journey than a race," Froome concluded.