The four-time Tour de France champion wound back the clock with his ride on Stage 12 of the Tour de France, as he rode to a good result in the mountains.
Froome’s fine performance for third place, including bridging over with eventual winner Tom Pidcock (INEOS Grenadiers) after initially missing the breakaway, was the best performance of the Briton’s cycling career since suffering a catastrophic crash in the 2019 Criterium du Dauphine.
“Naturally I would have loved to put my hands in the air and win the stage but no regrets,” Froome said. “Where I've come from in the last three years, to finish third on one of the hardest stages of the Tour, I can be really happy with that.
"I've been feeling better and better. I've been wanting to target a stage like today and try my luck in the breakaway.”
"I didn't have any more to give on that final climb. Tom and Louis had more in the engine than me today. Congrats to them. Thanks to my team and teammates for allowing me the chance to get up the road today."
After suffering a double femur break, a broken elbow, a fractured vertebrae and sternum, as well as internal bruising, Froome’s return to normal life, let alone cycling at a top level wasn’t guaranteed.
He returned to the professional peloton in 2020, but was a shadow of his former self, and even after transferring to Israel Premier Tech the following season it was still the case that he wouldn’t play much part in the outcome of races.
However, this stage saw Froome record his best result at any level of racing since the injury. He did it on the biggest stage of cycling, among the fierce competition of the Tour de France up the Alpe D’Huez on Bastille Day in blistering heat.
“I'm going to keep pushing,” said Froome. “I don't know where my limits are. I'll keep trying to improve and hopefully get back to winning ways again.”
Australian teammate Simon Clarke paid tribute to Froome, pointing out some of the specific problems that had held the former Tour de France champion back.
“He’s worked super hard for this,” said Clarke. “I don’t think people understand the injury that he’s come back from. The performance he did today is very special.”
“When you break a femur and a pelvis, there are a lot of things there that affect your biomechanical things going on there that affect style and position.
“Not only do you have the injury, but this injury created other injuries whilst he tried to get back where he was. There was a strength difference and a length difference and to overcome constant issues raised when trying to come back it was a huge process for him and what he’s able to do.”
When asked if Froome was officially ‘back’, Clarke replied in the affirmative.
“I think so, he’s getting more confidence now and he showed today he can mix it with the good climbers.”
The Tour de France continues with a less mountainous, but still hilly route, to St. Etienne for Stage 13. Watch from 8.55pm AEST on the SBS SKODA Tour Tracker and on SBS and SBS On Demand from 9.30pm AEST.
