Chris Froome (Team Sky) showed off his surprisingly adept Ninja skills during the team presentation for the Tour de France Saitama Criterium in Japan, which takes place on Saturday.
Froome donned a yellow Ninja outfit on stage during the presentation in front of a large crowd and then gave a display of his star-throwing skills as he managed to get a bullseye with his very first shot. A better result than his recent arm-wrestling showdown with Marcel Kittel.
Chris Froome celebrates hitting the bullseye
(Image credit: ASO/Pauline Ballet)
Tour de France and Vuelta a España champion Froome joined Marcel Kittel (Quick-Step Floors), Greg Van Avermaet (BMC) and Warren Barguil (Team Sunweb) in dressing up in traditional costumes on stage and engaging in various mock battles.
British sprinter Mark Cavendish (Dimension Data) took part in some sushi making activities, which included attempting to catch some live eels in a fish tank on stage to prepare a local dish.
Mark Cavendish and Fabio Sabatini try to catch some eels
(Image credit: ASO/Pauline Ballet)
After handing out some of the food to those watching, Cavendish tried some for himself.
Mark Cavendish tries a local dish with Bernhard Eisel (left) and Nicolas Roche (right)
(Image credit: ASO/Pauline Ballet)
The Tour de France Saitama Criterium take place on Saturday, November 4, in the city of Saitama and has been run since 2013.
The start list features Tour de France stars and top Japanese riders tackling a closed circuit in the city centre. Organiser ASO expects around 100,000 spectators to watch at the roadside.
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The event is one of a number of post-Tour criteriums designed more as entertainment and as a showpiece than serious professional races.
Rigoberto Uran and fans
(Image credit: ASO/Pauline Ballet)
Warren Barguil, Greg Van Avermaet, Chris Froome and Marcel Kittel get dressed up
(Image credit: ASO/Pauline Ballet)
Chris Froome signs autographs
(Image credit: ASO/Pauline Ballet)
Some of the huge crowd of spectators
(Image credit: ASO/Pauline Ballet)
Chris Froome on stage
(Image credit: ASO/Pauline Ballet)
Cannondale-Drapac in an unconventional team presentation
(Image credit: ASO/Pauline Ballet)
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Nigel Wynn worked as associate editor on CyclingWeekly.com, he worked almost single-handedly on the Cycling Weekly website in its early days. His passion for cycling, his writing and his creativity, as well as his hard work and dedication, were the original driving force behind the website’s success. Without him, CyclingWeekly.com would certainly not exist on the size and scale that it enjoys today. Nigel sadly passed away, following a brave battle with a cancer-related illness, in 2018. He was a highly valued colleague, and more importantly, an exceptional person to work with - his presence is sorely missed.
