26 Apr 2019
Froome reflects on last stage race for Team Sky
Related riders
Chris Froome
Chris Froome was full of praise for Pavel Sivakov and Tao Geoghegan Hart after the pair secured a memorable one-two at the Tour of the Alps - the team’s last stage race as Team Sky.
The four-time Tour de France winner played a crucial role in Sivakov’s win, helping to deter dangerous Vincenzo Nibali attacks during stage three, before driving the pace on today’s final climb to reduce the gap to the day’s breakaway.
And Froome told TeamSky.com that helping the team’s “young guns” made his final race for Team Sky all the more satisfying.
He said: “It’s special to go out on such a high note. It’s nearly 10 years now that Sky have been a sponsor of the team and it’s fitting that one of our future generation, one of our young guns, has won our last stage race as Team Sky.
Chris Froome
It was great for me to be there with the younger guys and help them as much as possible where I could.
“It’s been a great week of racing. Tao and Pavel have ridden amazingly and showed a lot of maturity in quite high pressure situations. They’ve definitely proved that they’re ready for the Giro d’Italia which is their next big goal, alongside Egan Bernal.
“Personally this race will really help me to move forward. I’m feeling a lot better than I did at Catalunya and it was great for me to be there with the younger guys and help them as much as possible where I could.”
Heading into the race’s final climb, with the rain pouring down on the roads around Bolzano, Sivakov’s overall lead looked to be in the balance. That was when Froome came to the front and took control.
“I’d be lying if I said it was completely under control!” he laughed. “There was definitely a few moments in the final when it could have gone either way, especially as the breakaway went into the last climb with over six minutes on us. We really had to step up and chase and pull back some time to make sure the jersey stayed on Pavel’s shoulders.”
This was Froome’s third race of the season and he believes he is now “on track” for July. He missed the UAE Tour and suffered an unfortunate crash at the Volta a Catalunya, but after a training camp in Tenerife ahead of the Tour of the Alps, Froome is feeling better and better, as demonstrated in northern Italy.
“I’m definitely feeling better and I feel as if I’m on track for July. I’m where I need to be. Hopefully I can build on this momentum now and have a good race at the Tour de Yorkshire next week and then on to the Dauphine before the Tour.”
