Chris Froome confident of seeing improvement in form in final Giro d'Italia warm-up race
Team Sky rider lines up for final Giro warm-up event at Tour of the Alps this week
Chris Froome may not have finished higher than seventh in any event this year, but that doesn't mean that the four-time Tour de France winner is low on confidence ahead of his final warm-up race before the Giro d'Italia.
The 32-year-old has endured a difficult start to the season as he approached the Giro d'Italia with the ongoing salbutamol case hanging over him, finishing 10th in the Ruta del Sol and a distant 34th at Tirreno-Adriatico.
Froome will take to the start line of the Tour of the Alps in Arco on Monday at the head of a strong Team Sky line-up, but says that managing to win the Tour de France last year having not won a race in the six months beforehand has given him confidence to trust his form whatever the race results may say.
>>> Chris Froome confirmed for final Giro build-up at the Tour of the Alps
"I'm confident that I'm where I need to be at the moment, like I was last year with the goals of the Tour and the Vuelta," Froome said on Sunday.
"Winning big before events always gives you confidence and it’s great for morale, but it’s not a prerequisite, it’s not the be all and end all.
"I’m not here to send signals or anything like that. I’d be really happy if I could see a progression from when I last raced in Tirreno-Adriatico. That would make me very happy."
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
Watch: Giro d'Italia route guide 2018
The five stages of the Tour of the Alps present the toughest parcours of any stage race in 2018 to date, with five days of racing packing in more than 13,000m of climbing.
Stage two on Tuesday is the race's only bona fide summit finish (although stage one's finish is just six kilometres from the top of a second-category climb), but there are big climbs on every stage including a final stage that features three ascents of the 7.9km climb that will feature prominently in the 2018 Road World Championships.
With these difficulties in mind, Froome says that he is expect a difficult week of racing, and that the race will not only be a test for his own form but could also give an indication of the riders that Team Sky could select to support him at the Giro d'Italia in May.
>>> Five stages, 13,000m of climbing: The 2018 Tour of the Alps route looks absolutely savage
However he also hopes that he will be able to avoid the fates of team-mates Richie Porte, Mikel Landa, and Geraint Thomas who won this race in 2015, 2016, and 2017 respectively before falling short at the Giro.
"I’m really looking forward to the week ahead," Froome continued. "Quite a few riders have come back from a good block of training at altitude, so it will be interesting to see where my rivals are in terms of their condition. It’s also a great race for the team and for us to narrow down the selection of the squad for the Giro d’Italia.
"Given the region where this race is being held it’s extremely tough parcours, we’ve got a lot of climbing everyday. Even though the stages are quite short it’s still a very difficult challenge.
"It’s been amazing for the team to win this race for the last three years, even if my team-mates have gone on to the Giro and things haven’t gone quite as well. But hopefully there’s no connection there between winning Tour of the Alps and bad luck at the Giro."
The Tour of the Alps runs from Arco in Italy to Innsbruck in Austria over five days between April 16 and April 20.
Thank you for reading 20 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access
Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription
Join now for unlimited access
Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
Henry Robertshaw began his time at Cycling Weekly working with the tech team, writing reviews, buying guides and appearing in videos advising on how to dress for the seasons. He later moved over to the news team, where his work focused on the professional peloton as well as legislation and provision for cycling. He's since moved his career in a new direction, with a role at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
-
Chinese X-Lab vies for global domination as it equips XDS Astana with bikes for the WorldTour
A new partnership sees Astana aboard new bikes with increased funding for 2025
By Joe Baker Published
-
Tech of the week: Van Rysel releases an aero bike (quelle surprise!) plus a superlight carbon crankset from FSA, a long top tube bag from Tailfin and tyre liners from Zefal
The RCR-F aero bike will be ridden by the Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale team in 2025, but will it create headlines like the RCR?
By Luke Friend Published
-
Chris Froome misses out on Tour de France selection
39-year-old absent from Israel-Premier Tech's eight-rider roster
By Tom Davidson Published
-
A complete history of Ineos Grenadiers kits, from Adidas to Gobik, via Rapha
The British team switch to Gobik in 2024 after two years with Bioracer
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
Chris Froome's boss rubbishes claims bike fit is behind lack of results
'He can talk about his bike position until the cows come home - that's still not going to earn him a position on a Grand Tour team' says Israel-Premier Tech team owner Sylvan Adams
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
Chris Froome, rim brake evangelist, 'warms to' disc brakes
The Israel-Premier Tech rider, also an investor at Factor Bikes, says that he has "way less problems" with discs these days
By Adam Becket Published
-
Is Chris Froome - in 2023 - a professional cyclist, or an influencer?
The seven-time Grand Tour winner hasn't raced since July, but has taken to being interesting on social media
By Adam Becket Published
-
Chris Froome 'absolutely not' worth multi-million euro salary says his team boss
The four-time Tour de France winner was not selected for this year's Tour de France for performance reasons, Israel-Premier Tech boss Sylvan Adams says
By Chris Marshall-Bell Published
-
Chris Froome not selected for Tour de France 2023
38-year-old misses out on 'ultimate goal' as Israel-Premier Tech confirm eight-man squad
By Tom Davidson Published
-
Back to Africa: Chris Froome on going back to his roots, his future and cycling's new generation
He’s come full circle, but is there time for another loop? We talk to the four-time Tour champ about his and African cycling’s future
By Adam Becket Published