Madrid: As a four-time Tour de France champion Chris Froome is used to winning, but the Briton has suffered a long wait to finally land the Vuelta a Espana.
Froome completed a historic Tour-Vuelta double yesterday, becoming just the third rider in history to win both Grand Tours in the same year after Frenchmen Jacques Anquetil (1963) and Bernard Hinault (1978).
Even the normally bashful Froome admitted with his latest feat he was “sealing my place in the history of the sport.”
However, Froome recognised that finally standing on top of the podium in Madrid in the leader’s red jersey brought out different emotions to his Tour triumphs having fallen just short with three second-placed finishes in 2011, 2014 and 2016.
“I’ve been trying for years and I’ve been second three times, so to win the Vuelta now is incredible,” he said after safely negotiating the daunting final climb of a brutal three-week race up Alto de l’Angliru on Saturday before yesterday’s parade around Madrid’s city centre. “For me it certainly has been harder to win the Vuelta than the Tour.”
It was seven years ago when Froome suddenly announced himself as a Grand Tour contender when he finished second by just 13 seconds despite operating as a domestique for Team Sky’s then leader Bradley Wiggins.
Sky and Froome aren’t accustomed to settling for second. After a tactical error saw Nairo Quintana take last year’s Vuelta, Froome orchestrated a big change in his schedule that sacrificed arriving at the Tour in top shape to increase his chances of Vuelta success.
“Up until now my focus has been 100 percent on the Tour de France and trying to survive the Vuelta, whereas this year the plan was to start the season later,” added Froome.
“Maybe I wasn’t quite at my top, top for the Tour de France but it means I’ve been able to hold my form for longer and that has shown in this year’s Vuelta.”
That conditioning has been necessary for a merciless route filled with sharp mountain climbs in conditions ranging from 40 degree celsius heat to rain and freezing cold on Angliru.
“I have to say it’s probably the toughest Grand Tour I’ve ridden,” admitted Froome.
Froome hit the front as early as stage three and was never caught despite a stellar chasing pack including Bahrain Merida’s Vincenzo Nibali and Alberto Contador on his final race before retirement.