Chris Froome is refreshed as he heads into winter training and is hungry to make 2015 a season to remember.
Brit ready to recapture stage race crown
Chris Froome is refreshed as he heads into winter training and is hungry to make 2015 a season to remember.
After recently tying the knot, Froome has ended 2014 on a high after a successful Vuelta a Espana campaign, and now carries a solid base into the off-season.
Despite a strong start to the year, a string of crashes saw Froome reluctantly relinquish his Tour de France crown, teaching the Brit some hard lessons in the process.
With his focus now fixed firmly ahead as he looks to regain his stage-race crown, the 29-year-old has a clear but broad goal in mind.
“Looking to next year, my key goal is just returning to good condition and being at the front of a race again,” he confirmed. “That’s a really big motivation for me. Whether it’s the Tour or any other race, it’s what I love doing. I love racing and being able to compete at the front – to be with a team of guys who you enjoy being with, and who you work together well with. That’s what gets me through the winter when I’m riding those long hours on my own.”
Hard training
Those long hours will be spent across two continents, with Froome again splitting his time in search of good weather.
“As usual I’ll be based between Europe and Africa over the winter. I’ll see how it’s going and how the conditions are as that will dictate where I train.”
Froome has kept busy during the off-season thus far, travelling to India before taking in the Saitama Criterium in Japan.
“I went over to India for a bit and to the Himalayas,” he explained. “It was something quite different and I really enjoyed it. After any season I think it’s important to reset and recalibrate. I’m actually really hungry to start training again and keen to get back going.”
After a period of sustained success, summer 2014 provided a bump in the road in what turned out to be a tough year by Froome’s own high standards.
Looking back now with the benefit of hindsight, he reasoned: “I think there will always be ups and down in everyone’s career. That’s sport, and especially our sport. It’s full of unpredictable hurdles.
“I’m really happy to have got through the season in good stead. The Tour was a disappointment but I’ve still got a few victories I can be happy about this year. Also finishing the Vuelta off in such a decent way, after having all the setbacks – that for me was probably more important than anything else. It means I’ll be able to go forward into next year without starting from a negative position. I can go in with a clean slate and give it my best shot.”
And what about a highlight from 2014?
“I think the biggest point of the year for me were the first few stages of the Tour. Starting up there in Yorkshire was something I’ll never forget. It was massive and an incredible experience. Coming in as the previous winner and having that home support was huge. In terms of performance and satisfaction, I think the Vuelta was definitely the one. It left me with the best feeling.”
