Froome still 'optimistic' and 'motivated' to continue Giro quest despite losing more time
Chris Froome says he hasn't given up hope of turning his form around in the Giro d'Italia despite a difficult first half of the race in italy
Chris Froome remains optimistic in his Giro d'Italia quest despite losing more time again on an uphill finish in central Italy.
Froome slid behind on the short and steep finish to Osimo in Marche. Fellow Brit Simon Yates (Mitchelton-Scott) won for a second time in the pink jersey, while Froome drifted in 40 seconds later.
"We saw with Esteban Chaves how quickly things can change for the general classification riders, so we just have to keep plugging away and keep trying to do everything we can," Froome said.
>>> Five talking points from stage 11 of the Giro d’Italia
"The team is motivated and I'm motivated. We are going to do as much as we can."
With the loss, Froome slid back two spots to 12th overall at 3-20 minutes behind Yates. He has lost time steadily since his crash on day one while training for the time trial in Jerusalem.
Blue Kinesio tape runs down Froome right leg. Where there is no tape, scabs mark his leg and his arm.
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
"I'm not going to lie, that crash took a lot out of me. I have lot of pain down my right hand side, which in this game if you are not at your absolute best you can't hide, or you can only hide for so long, which we've seen," Froome continued.
"But I feel that I've been progressing though the race, still just chipping' away and hoping to do the best I can."
Froome said he feels like his normal self, the one that dominated the last few editions of the Tour de France.
"I'm getting there, day by day," he explained.
"I'm not 100 per cent obviously after all the issues I've had on the right, but I'm getting there and I'm optimistic I'm going to come right. There's still some really hard stages to come."
Froome came into the season with a double objective of winning the Giro d'Italia and Tour de France, something that has not been done since 1998. Some suggested that he would drop out of what has been a difficult Giro early to give himself recover time and extra preparation time for a fifth Tour title.
"No, no," Froome said when asked if he is thinking about quitting. "I'm going to keep fighting.
"It's good to get this racing in the legs. I haven't done much this year, so it's good to get the racing in. I certainly haven't given up hope."
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
Gregor Brown is an experienced cycling journalist, based in Florence, Italy. He has covered races all over the world for over a decade - following the Giro, Tour de France, and every major race since 2006. His love of cycling began with freestyle and BMX, before the 1998 Tour de France led him to a deep appreciation of the road racing season.
-
Collapsed lung, concussion and multiple fractures: Fundraiser set up for first ever Tour de France Féminin winner following crash
Marianne Martin crashed earlier in October and is looking to raise $20,000 to help her get back on her feet
By Adam Becket Published
-
Gravel riders - get ready, set, register! A guide to 2025's biggest gravel events and key registration dates
Here are the registration dates for gravel’s biggest events around the globe
By Anne-Marije Rook Published
-
'I can help get the team back to where it was' - 20-year-old Artem Shmidt looks to the future after Ineos Grenadiers' disappointing season
Shmidt hoping to help revitalise team backed by Jim Ratcliffe after season of woes and as star rider Tom Pidcock gets set to move on
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
'I don’t think the people around Tom help' - Geraint Thomas on the Tom Pidcock and Ineos Grenadiers situation
Pidcock was "deselected" from Il Lombardia on Saturday, with the rider taking to Instagram to discuss decision
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
Tom Pidcock 'deselected' from Ineos Grenadiers squad for Il Lombardia
British rider says 'I guess off season starts early' in Instagram post
By Tom Davidson Published
-
Ineos Grenadiers have had their worst season ever, and the woes appear not to be over. What’s next for the super-team of a bygone era?
With Tom Pidcock possibly off to Q36.5 and Luke Rowe leaving, the news is not quiet around the British WorldTour squad
By Adam Becket Published
-
Remco Evenepoel puts transfer speculation to bed ahead of World Championships road race
'I'll stay where I am' says Double Olympic champion as he confirms he will remain at Soudal Quick-Step next season
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
'You can't sugarcoat it' - Luke Rowe says Ineos Grenadiers are 'underperforming'
British squad's experienced road captain believes his team has been "overtaken" by others
By Tom Davidson Published
-
Steve Cummings replaced by Tom Pidcock's coach in Tour of Britain management team shake-up at Ineos Grenadiers
Cummings was on the provisional start list submitted to the race organiser, but was replaced by Kurt Bogaerts
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
Dan Bigham becomes Head of Engineering at Red Bull-Bora Hansgrohe after leaving Ineos Grenadiers
After winning a silver medal at the Paris Olympics, Bigham then left his role at Ineos due to his frustrations with the setup currently in place at the team
By Tom Thewlis Published