Chris Froome knows a thing or two about Grand Tour doubles, having gone back to back at the Tour de France and the Vuelta a Espana in 2017. Despite Froome's best efforts however, the Brit was never able complete a Giro d'Italia - Tour de France double, something Tadej Pogacar achieved with relative ease in 2024.
“It’s incredible, absolutely incredible,” the 39-year-old, who recently made his debut at the Arctic Race of Norway, told Velo. “If the numbers that are being reported coming out of the Tour de France are to be believed and correct, it is just mind boggling. I mean, an amazing, amazing, amazing performance.”
Not since Marco Pantani in 1998 had anyone won the Maglia Rosa and the Maillot Jaune in the same year. The closest Froome came was in 2018 when the then-Team Sky leader secured Giro d'Italia victory with one of the greatest single stage performances of all time on stage 19, gaining over three minutes on the rest of the field with an incredible long-range solo raid. In the Tour however, Froome was noticeably tired, and eventually finished 3rd as teammate Geraint Thomas secured the Grand Tour win.
“Given what he’s been able to do in one day races and classics earlier on in the season, to still be able to carry that form through to the Giro and the Tour is just phenomenal,” Froome says, full of praise for Pogacar. “He’s a phenomenal athlete. It’s been a pleasure to watch.”
Froome had to settle for 3rd at the Tour after his Giro win in 2018
Whilst Froome himself was dominant in his prime, the numbers and climbing times posted nowadays are a clear level above anything seen in the past. So what's changed? “I think the availability of data has really changed the sport in the last decade,” Froome notes. “Young teenagers most probably have access to how professionals are training. We’re probably getting 13, 14 year olds training like WorldTour riders. So by the time they turned professional at the age of 19, 20, 21, they’re ready to even go and win races like the Tour de France.”
“It’s meant that across the board the levels is much higher,” continues the Israel - Premier Tech rider. “And altitude is definitely a factor as well. Everyone’s going to altitude now, whereas beforehand, certainly during the Team Sky days that I had, there were only a handful of teams going to altitude. Now it’s everyone’s going.”
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
claps 4visitors 3
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- He is boring
leedorney08-11-2026 - To Twoje przemyślenia te bla, bla :)
Dariusz08-11-2026 - Uwielbiam patrzeć, jak wyjeżdża na czoło peletonu i zaczyna się rzeź...Dariusz08-11-2026
- Yeah, unreal.
parisbound0008-11-2026 - there needs to be space in life for pointless comments!Ketterechts08-11-2026
- That is a very lazy way of putting it but so far on this website it seems like everyone is happy to look at everything lazily, even things that annoy them intensely. All they want to do is state their feeling and position but ask most to analyse a problem or come up with solutions or improvements and you’re stunned by silence. Nobody even really knows how this all happens. It’s very simple and quick to just say the UCI did it but I bet you they didn’t, I bet you not more than 2 people were involved, more likely just 1. The UCI may be ultimately responsible but it is not their decision, this is about hierarchy, power and delegation. The fact that protest is possible also means it isn’t over and that MORE people could get involved for a thorough review which could throw up anything. It is highly likely it was a sole commissar who decided and has that power in a first round. Therein might lie the problem the UCI has to consider, is it acceptable to give so much authority to one single person when it is quite possible for them to have a natural bias or be too easily susceptible to imposed bias. Who is to say an individual in this position isn’t susceptible to collaboration with outside players with interests in the results, nations, families, teams, betting companies, etc. On the one hand we have sports where these problems have been worked on way more to reduce such problems, on the other hand we have sports with far stricter and more draconian rules not even concerning safety or obstruction that nobody really questions like false starts or stepping out of lane or zones in athletics. If cycling hastowork on itself, it would be good if protagonists (all kinds) would start doing a little more than just moaning over outcomes.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- Yes, so why not make comments less pointless?Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- What a race! I didn't expect Vanthourenhout to collapse like that, and Wyseure did take the fight to Nys, but there was no doubt at the end. I also wonder what Aubin Sparfel would be capable of were he to race in the elites now. In the U23 ranks he is making good work of Giel Lejeune, who himself is among the better riders in the elites, and a top 10 contender in the big races (3rd at Kleebergcross, 8th at Berencross and 5th at Heerderstrand). In the French Cup, Sparfel is significantly better than Romain Debord (8th at Koppenbergcross and 10th at the Euros) and Rémi Lelandais (12th at Koppenbergcross and 19th at the Euros).
Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026 - There really was nothing in it. Schreiber was so much faster, and Brand was fighting to stay in the wheel in the sprint. Schreiber did move a bit, but to say she closed the door doesn't make sense because Brand couldn't enter it anyway, abd she wasn't impeded.Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026
- He should have been allowed to go to Movistar. Right now both arent a good fit for each other and are just wasting each other's time and effortabstractengineer08-11-2026
Loading
Tadej Pogacar arrived today in Ljubljana with the Giro and Tour trophies and celebrated with the Slovenian fans. 🥳🇸🇮As expected, he kept the Giro one closer to him (ok it might be heavier also). 📽️ Slo cycling FB
Write a comment