A Q&A interview with Chris Froome ahead of his debut in his first Prudential Ride London-Surrey Classic 2016 July 30-31
From July 30-31, Surrey welcomes the return of Prudential Ride London to our streets for a weekend of cheering on riders as they celebrate the legacy of the 2012 Olympic cycle route. Riding in the slip-stream of Chris Froome's recent victory at the Tour de France 2016, sees him become the first British rider to win three Tours de France, setting him comfortably out in front upon the path to Rio.
- Q) Congratulations on a third Tour de France win. Has it sunk in yet?
A) "Just about. I said going into the Tour that, despite having won the race twice previously, I still had the desire to win another. An enormous amount of hard work and sacrifice goes into getting ready for the Tour – both individually and as a team – so going into Yellow and then ultimately winning the Tour felt just as good as it did the first time round."
"Winning the Tour for a third time definitely feels like a special achievement."
- Q) Are you fully recovered from the two crashes on the TdF?
A) "Yes, I’m fine. Obviously it’s never nice when you crash but I was lucky that I didn’t suffer anything worse then the normal road rash and bumps and bruises. I wasn’t the only person to come off in the wet during the descent on Stage 19. Some riders suffered much worse injuries than me and so even though it was a real fright at the time, coming so close to the end of the Tour, I can be thankful it wasn’t a lot worse."
"The crash on Ventoux is obviously one that will live long in the memory, but my bike came off a lot worse than I did!"
- Q) This is the first time that you have been able to race in England immediately after a TdF win, how much are you looking forward to engaging with your fans at Prudential RideLondon?
A) "I’m really looking forward to it. Every year there are more and more British fans who come out to every corner of France to see the Tour. They really make their presence felt and give brilliant backing to me, Team Sky and the other British riders."
"It makes such a huge difference and so it will be good to return the favour and come back to ride in the UK and thank them for that support."
- Q) The Prudential RideLondon-Surrey Classic is getting bigger and better each year. How exciting is it for cycling in this country that we now have a major one-day race here?
A) "I think it’s really good news. Prudential RideLondon attracts a strong line up and has a reputation amongst the riders for being a tough, full-on race. It will be great preparation for Rio coming just a week ahead of the road race."
"The calendar of domestic races in the UK is getting better all the time and Prudential RideLondon is a big part of that."
- Q) What are your ambitions for the race? Will you be turning super-domestique and riding for Swift/Van Poppel? Will you have licence to push on yourself or is it a case of shaking out the legs ahead of Rio?
A) "I don’t want to give away too much! We’re definitely coming to try to win the race. We’ve got a strong line up that covers a lot of bases. It’s a race that can go a number of different ways depending on the conditions and how hard the teams choose to ride, so whilst we have really strong options if it does come down to a sprint, we’ll be well prepared for all eventualities. It’s a race that does have a proper Classics feel to it, with changing types of road condition and enough in there to make it tricky for the sprinters if it's ridden full on."
- Q) Prudential RideLondon is more than just the Classic, there are events across the weekend, from youth and BMX races on the Friday, to FreeCycle and the women's elite race the Classique on Saturday and concluding with two mass sportives, the 100 and 46 on Sunday, as well as the Classic. How far do you think cycling has come in the UK? And how important are events like Prudential RideLondon to ensure it keeps on growing?
A) "It’s great to see cycling growing so much in the UK and so many people getting on their bikes – whether it is for sportives, commuting to work or just for fun. I was down in Southampton a few months back doing wind-tunnel testing at the University and on the spur of the moment put a call out on Twitter to see if people wanted to join me for a ride. A couple of hundred people turned up within about an hour, which was amazing. Some of the men and women who turned up were pulling pretty hard on the front so if they’re riding the sportive I’m sure there are going to be some quick times!"
"You can definitely feel that there’s a growing passion for cycling in the UK. Hopefully success in events like the Tour de France plays a part in inspiring people to ride, but providing a safe environment for people to cycle - through events like Sky Rides and Prudential RideLondon - is just as important."
- Q) Rio is a week away, how are you feeling and can the TdF and then Prudential RideLondon provide the platform for a medal push in both the road race and time trial in Rio?
A) "I’m going to Rio in good form and I’m really looking forward to it. One day races are always hard to predict but the road race course is one that should hopefully suit me and so I will be giving it my best shot. I rode well in the time trials at the Tour, finishing second and first, and so hopefully I can continue that form and bring home a medal for Team GB."
- Q) We very nearly have the entire GB team for the Olympics competing here at Prudential RideLondon. How much are you looking forward to getting a good send off from the fans and what does that say about the growing attraction of the race?
A) "It will be fantastic to see the fans just before we head off to Rio. Anybody who took part in London 2012 will tell you what a huge impact that home backing had, so being in London and being able to experience that support again just a week before the Games is the next best thing."
The Team Sky roster for the Prudential RideLondon-Surrey Classic is:
Chris Froome
Christian Knees
Danny van Poppel
Ian Stannard
Ben Swift
Geraint Thomas
The Prudential RideLondon-Surrey Classic will take place on Horse Guards Parade from 12pm on Sunday July 31 and the race begins at 1.15pm.
There will be live coverage on the Red Button from 13:00 and on BBC One from 15:30-18:30.
For more information visit prudentialridelondon.co.uk
Follow the race live via Twitter @RideLondon
Check out another one of our cycle pieces like our article on cyclist Bob Munro pedalling past cancer
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