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.
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.
After handing out some of the food to those watching, Cavendish tried some for himself.
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.
The event is one of a number of post-Tour criteriums designed more as entertainment and as a showpiece than serious professional races.
Thank you for reading 5 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
-
-
David Millar: Why Mark Cavendish deserves to be at the Tour de France
Cav has bridged generations in a way no one else could, he shows what's possible
-
Young and talented: Meet the seven Americans racing Le Tour
Young and talented: Meet the seven American bike racers ringing Le Tour de France in 2022.
-
'I'm trying to get back to my old self again' — Chris Froome achieves his best result since 2019 horror crash
Chris Froome finished 11th at the Mercan Tour Classic Alpes-Maritimes on Tuesday, his best result for almost three years
-
Chris Froome: Being competitive at Tour de France would be a 'dream scenario'
The Israel-Premier Tech rider on being back at his normal level, appreciating his past, and aiming to have form late into the season
-
Chris Froome set for 2022 race debut in Italy
The four-time Tour de France winner will return to racing at the Coppi e Bartali next week
-
Chris Froome claims 'racing has become more dangerous' due to 'abundance of data'
The Israel-Premier Tech rider suggests cycling performance has drastically improved since he became a professional, but not necessarily for the best
-
Chris Froome says time trials should be raced on road bikes to improve safety
The four-time Tour de France champion gives his thoughts in light of Egan Bernal's recent training crash
-
'We need to see results from him': Israel-Start Up Nation expect Chris Froome's form to improve as they target a place among the super-teams
The four-time Tour winner will have to prove his form if he wants to be on the startline of the 2022 edition
-
Star-studded field set to ride the Deutschland Tour 2021
The German race has attracted a large amount of big-name riders
