There will be analysis about the Tour de France of 2016 until next July and the Grand Départ of the 104th edition of the race in Düsseldorf. One of the main questions that will be raised is: can Chris Froome be beaten? That’s something we’ll consider for the next 12 months. In the meantime, there was a chance to get the winner’s thoughts on how his race was this July.

 

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He was the dominant rider on GC this year – as he was in 2013 and 2015.

On Sunday he’ll ride to Paris in the yellow jersey and celebrate a third title in four years.

The tradition after the penultimate stage of the Tour de France is for the rider in the lead of the general classification to attend the press room after having done the rounds of interviews with the broadcast media.

Froome answered a volley of questions in an interview session that lasted around 40 minutes.

Alone on the stage at the front of the room, he provided answers to journalists from around the world.

RIDE got the chance to ask two questions and while we will continue to analyse other aspects of how the 2016 race unfolded in the weeks and months to come, we present the two-part Q&A relating to the answers Froome offered…

 

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RIDE: There’s going to be discussion about this Tour or the anticipation of the battle for GC. I wonder if you were the race director, what might you implement to make it a bit more exciting. Could you see a scenario where power meters, for example, are banned from racing?

Chris Froome: “Good question. I don’t know. If you look at the battle for the podium positions in this year’s race it really was quite close I think, within about a minute and a half to two minutes from second place to sixth place.

“There were a lot of guys really in contention there.

“I hope they don’t ban power meters because that’s a big part of my training.

“In racing…? I don’t really race using a power meter that much so I wouldn’t say that really changes too much.

“It’s about feeling it on the road and to react accordingly.

“There’s talk, obviously, of teams being reduced – the numbers of riders – that might be something for the future.

“I think that’s obviously a question for the UCI.”

 

RIDE: If we isolate moments, or highlights, of your ride this year there was the descending to Luchon, the riding in the wind to Montpellier, the crash on Ventoux, and the time trials, for example. Are they your highlights and, if so, can you explain which one you enjoyed the most?

Chris Froome: “I think for me the one I enjoyed the most by far was winning on the descent down into Luchon.

“That, to me, is what racing is all about.

“I really did feel as if I was a kid again just trying to stay away from my mates behind me and being the fastest down the hill.

“At the end of the day, that’s what bike racing is all about. For us it’s that thrill, it’s that ‘Boy Racer’ mentality. And that’s a special stage for me at this year’s Tour de France.”

 

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– By Rob Arnold

 

 

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