Team Sky's Chris Froome says there is a 'good chance' he'll sleep in a motorhome during the Tour de France this July to reduce risks that come with hotels.
The move would follow in the footsteps of Sky's Giro d'Italia captain, Richie Porte, and be a first at the Tour where teams traditionally bunk in hotels provided by the organiser.
"We have to wait and see," Froome said, "but there's a good chance."
Sky rented a silver and black Fleetwood Excursion motorhome for the Giro, where Porte acted as a guinea pig for the team’s new experiment. The team hired a driver to take it from one hotel car park to the next where it tethered to water and electricity supplies.
Porte praised the accommodation, calling it a "sanctuary" and Sky Principal David Brailsford underlined its advantages. Instead of dealing with the added stress of changing rooms 21 times during a grand tour, the possibility of bad beds or pillows and dirty rooms, his captain had consistent and controlled conditions.
>>> Inside Richie Porte’s Giro d’Italia motorhome
Brailsford gave example of one night during the Giro where the team had to move the other eight riders because their rooms were above the hotel's main hall, where music played into the late hours for a boy's 18th birthday party. Porte never knew what was going on because he was in his "sanctuary."
"There's definitely a lot to be said for motorhomes," Froome continued. "You can improve recovery and make things a lot more efficient and comfortable for yourself, some hotels that you go into don't have air con and in some the sanitation isn't great.
"It's just about being able to control the factors you can control. As an athlete, sleeping in the same bed every night for three weeks makes a lot of difference compared to being in a different bed every night."
Porte slept alone in his RV during the Giro. Brailsford said it was similar to a captain usually taking a hotel room on his own during a grand tour while the other riders split two each in four rooms. The captain, he said, eats dinner and breakfast, and rides to and from the stage in the bus with his teammates as normal.
Froome indicated that could be different for the Tour de France, where he could share and Sky could have multiple motorhomes.
"Why would everyone be in a hotel? I might be sharing my camper van, maybe, we'll see," he said. "We might all be in camper vans."
With the Tour starting on July 4, in three weeks, Sky has yet to confirm its lodging plans, but it appears to involve wheels.
Highlights of Chris Froome's stage win at the 2015 Critérium du Dauphiné
