Cycling
How Chris Froome has got back to his best
The four-time Tour de France champion is finally feeling fully recovered from his 2019 horror crash and has his sights set on adding to his Grand Tour titles.
A double femur break. A broken elbow. A fractured vertebrae and sternum. A collapsed lung. Most athletes would call time on their career after suffering the list of injuries sustained by Chris Froome during a freak training accident in 2019. But the 35-year-old four-time Tour de France winner isn’t like most.
“That wasn’t the way I wanted to end my career, on an accident, on a low like that,” says Froome on the phone from his training camp in LA. “I want to be able to stop my career on my own terms and I still felt I had a lot more to give.”
I want to be able to stop my career on my own terms
While in intensive care, Chris's surgeons told him that he could make a full recovery and that none of the injuries sustained during a recon of the 2019 Critérium du Dauphiné’s time trial course would be permanent. Since then, he has been working hard to get back to his best. “I needed to apply myself to the rehab and the recovery process in the same way I did my normal preparation for the Tour de France.”
False start
Froome struggled to reach his former highs in his first season back
© David Ramos/Getty Images
Initial progress was promising. Just eight months after the crash, he was back on the road in Team INEOS colours again, racing the 2020 season opener at the UAE Tour. Then the coronavirus pandemic put competitive action on hold.
Despite feeling upbeat about his recovery, his progression stalled and any signs of the form that had seen him hold all three Grand Tours simultaneously between 2017-2018 never seemed to materialise.
It was pretty clear in the numbers from training and racing that I was just missing something. I could see the weaknesses coming from the right leg that I’d injured
After missing out on a spot on Team INEOS’ Tour de France team, he was chosen as the team’s lead rider at the 2020 Vuelta a España – a race he had won in 2011 and 2017. He appeared to struggle from the very start and finished the race more than three-and-a-half hours down on eventual winner Primož Roglič, in 98th place.
“I knew from halfway through the year when I missed out on the Tour de France selection that I wasn’t where I needed to be,” he says. “It was pretty clear in the numbers from training and racing that I was just missing something. I could see the weaknesses coming from the right leg that I’d injured.”
Rehab round two
Froome has been making the most of California's mild winter
© Hammerhead
Determined to get back to his best, he undertook some tests and scans once the season was over to see if there was an underlying problem. Isokinetic tests discovered a deficiency of around 20% in his right quad, while scans revealed that a surgical screw was piercing through a bone and potentially grating on his quad while cycling.
Screw removed, it was time to resume his rehabilitation and attempt to get back to his best. Enter Red Bull's Athlete Performance Center.
“Cameron Wurf, an ex-team mate of mine and good friend over at INEOS introduced me to Per [Lundstam, Director of Athlete Performance for Red Bull] over here in Santa Monica. He put us in touch first and discussed the possibility of coming over here to LA to basically continue my rehab.
“Per was extremely open and helpful and kind enough to allow me to join the sessions at the facility in Santa Monica.”
A variety of extreme sports are catered for at the Red Bull facility
© Marv Watson/Red Bull Content Pool
Froome was assessed and given a bespoke rehab schedule, and has been visiting the Red Bull Athlete Performance Center for two months. Based in Red Bull’s North American headquarters in Santa Monica, California, the 270m² space is at the pinnacle of athlete recovery, development and improvement. A suite of equipment and machines caters to the broad spectrum of disciplines that Red Bull-sponsored athletes compete in – from trampolines for snowboarders to simulators for Formula 1 drivers – while an army of experts and analysts are on hand to guide them on their journey.
“I’ve probably been doing four two-hour sessions most weeks at the Red Bull Athlete Performance Center in Santa Monica but we’ve been whittling that down to two sessions a week as the riding has been picking up.”
I’ve got to the same if not even better left-right balance than I was prior to the crash. That’s extremely encouraging
Core work and lower back strength training was already a key component of his winter schedule, but there was an added emphasis to leg exercises and single-legged drills that tested the weaker right side.
“We felt that balance has been achieved and I’m doing enough to stay on top of things while shifting focus back to the bike again,” adds Froome. “I can finally say that I’m confident the rehab process is behind me now. It’s always going to be a weakness I’m going to have to work on until the end of my career. But in terms of the figures I’m seeing on the bike, I’ve got to the same if not even better left-right balance than I was prior to the crash. That’s extremely encouraging.”
California dreaming
Exploring canyons on the outskirts of LA has been great climbing practise
© Hammerhead
Carrying out his rehab in LA has had added benefits when it comes to on-bike training, too. The climes and climbs of the Golden State have been a welcome break from the icy mountain passes of his home in the south of France, and as a result he hasn’t missed a day of training because of bad weather.
“It’s been a way for me to get some really good quality training done over here. I feel as if I’m in the best place possible coming into the season. I’ve still got a lot of work ahead of me in terms of focusing on race fitness but as a starting point this has put me in really good stead.”
New beginnings
He has joined Israel Start-Up Nation after 11 years at Team INEOS
© Hammerhead
The UAE Tour, which starts February 21, will be the first opportunity fans will get to see if Froome is looking back to his old self. Unlike the previous 11 years of racing though, he’ll be lining up in the white and blue jersey of Israel Start-Up Nation (ISN), rather than the distinctive colours of Team INEOS (née Team Sky).
The move to the relatively new WorldTour outfit raised eyebrows when it was announced in July 2020, but he sees it as a stimulating change.
It’s quite a refreshing approach to be on the forefront of helping the team build a new group and a new campaign. I’m not just part of the same old thing that has been going for year after year
“It was a big change for me – going to a smaller set-up, a team that’s not lined with superstars, but it’s refreshing. No disrespect at all to ISN but it feels like we’re starting almost with a blank piece of paper when it comes to the Grand Tours, which is pretty exciting to be part of. I think at my age it’s quite a refreshing approach to be on the forefront of helping the team build a new group and a new campaign. I’m not just part of the same old thing that has been going for year after year.”
It has also seen him swap tried and tested equipment for something new, which has come with a few pleasant surprises. “I’m really happy with all the new kit and there’s lots of new, exciting products to use. We’ve got the Hammerhead Karoo 2 head units, which are a really cool piece of kit. We were talking about different ways of reading data and they’re definitely onto some exciting new concepts – making it easy to see stuff in real-time while you’re racing. You can put a SIM card in it and get a lot of live data transmission that a lot of other head units don’t offer. There’s a lot of stuff in the pipeline, but they’re a very innovative company and I like their approach.”
2021 goals
Froome's last Tour de France in 2018 saw him help Geraint Thomas to victory
© Chris Graythen/Getty Images
As expected, Froome is setting the bar high when it comes to races he’s targeting over the coming season. If his rehab has gone to plan and he’s able to get back to his previous best, he hopes to be one of the key contenders at the Tour de France. Adding to his two Olympics bronze medals is also a goal before he hangs up his bike for good. He’s aware that he faces the biggest challenge of his career to pull it off though.
“I’d love to get to the Olympics as well, but that obviously depends on selection and how that goes. Also, in the last two years since I’ve been away from the Tour de France, the sport has changed significantly. There are a lot of really strong young riders coming through and a lot of talent coming into the WorldTour. It’s going to be a very different race but I’m looking forward to it.”
Challenging preconceived notions
Adding a fifth Tour de France title aged 36 is a key driving force
© Anthony Dibon/Getty
If Froome does win the Tour de France, he will not only join an elite club of riders (Anquetil, Merckx, Hinault and Induráin) who have won the overall title in cycling’s most iconic race a record five times, but he will also be the oldest winner – at 36 – since Firmin Lambot in 1922.
He uses both of these factors – the record and age – as carrots to reach the top of the sport once more.
We’re seeing cases where athletes are remaining competitive for longer. I’d like to be on the forefront of that and proving it can be done into your late 30s
“Being so close to the record, I can’t say I’m stopping at four and not at least give it my best shot to try and get number five,” he says. “I also think there are also a lot of preconceived notions, certainly in sport, that once you hit your 30s, you’re on a downward spiral.
“Everything has changed in the last few years and there’s a lot more data available. We know a lot more about our bodies and how to look after ourselves beyond the ages that were previously given as a career-ending point for athletes in sport. More and more now, we’re seeing cases where athletes are going longer due to better nutrition, better training, and looking after themselves properly. I’d also like to be on the forefront of that and proving it can be done into your late 30s.”
With the level of determination and success he has shown throughout his career to date, you wouldn’t bet against him.