Four-time Tour de France champion Chris Froome has described watching the race from the sidelines after his retirement as “mind-blowing,” saying it has put his career achievements into perspective.
Froome, Britain’s most successful Grand Tour rider of all time, officially ended his career over the summer. He is set to be inducted into the British Cycling Hall of Fame at the 2026 British Cycling Awards, presented by Lloyds, in Manchester this November.
Seeing the Tour from the other side
Froome attended this year’s Tour de France as a fan and as an ambassador for Škoda, watching the race up close for the first time as a spectator. He admitted that competing had made it easy to take his achievements for granted.
“When you're actually competing, going through one race at a time and one season at a time, you almost take things for granted. It becomes normal to be doing it. But watching it now from a spectator's point of view, it's mind-blowing to see a race like that up close,” he said.
“I still find myself pinching myself that I was doing that not too long ago. It's a pretty surreal feeling, but special at the same time. The Tour de France is the pinnacle of the sport, and knowing that I was able to win it four times really does feel surreal.”
A career of remarkable achievements
Only five men have won the Tour de France more often than Froome, whose 59 days in the yellow jersey rank fourth all time. He is one of just three riders, along with Eddy Merckx and Bernard Hinault, to have held all three Grand Tours at the same time.
Born in Kenya to British parents, Froome initially represented the country of his birth before switching nationality in 2008. He emerged at the highest level in 2011 at the Vuelta a España, where he finished ahead of teammate Bradley Wiggins and was later promoted to first place when Juan José Cobo was disqualified for an anti-doping violation.
Froome went on to win the Tour de France four times between 2013 and 2017, and also claimed an Olympic bronze medal at London 2012. He recalled: “The London Olympics were another standout. I'd never experienced anything like that before. It was my first Olympics as well, so it was just amazing.”
Altitude and the greatest day on the bike
Froome cited his long-range attack on stage 19 of the 2018 Giro d’Italia on the Colle delle Finestre as the greatest moment of his career. “From a sporting perspective, that was by far my best day on the bike. It was probably my best day of bike racing, put it that way,” he said.
He also credited growing up in East Africa, at more than 2,000 metres above sea level, for helping his development as an endurance athlete. “There's no question that altitude is a huge factor in endurance training and can provide significant benefits. I imagine that helped develop a lot of my cardiovascular capabilities,” he said.
Froome’s achievements will be recognised with his induction into the British Cycling Hall of Fame at the awards ceremony in Manchester this November.
