Chris Froome moves among the crowds, fans and fellow riders at the Tour de France criteriums in Saitama and Singapore appearing very much at home – much has changed for the rider since he first lined up in the debut of the Japanese event in 2013. However, his continued presence and profile here speaks of the unbreakable bond between the four-time winner and the race.
Froome may not be walking into the Asian showcase events with the hype of retiring Tour de France stage record holder Mark Cavendish but even though he hasn’t raced the Grand Tour since 2022 the Israel-Premier Tech rider he is still a crucial drawcard. That horrible accident at the 2019 Critérium du Dauphiné may have changed plenty, but it couldn’t wipe out the wins already etched into the history books, memories of the spectators and even perhaps the DNA of the rider.
