- Title: FILE: CYCLE RACING - Team Sky's Chris Froome on verge of Tour de France victory
- Date: 20th July 2013
- Summary: LONDON, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM (FILE - AUGUST 1, 2012) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF BRADLEY WIGGINS (RIGHT), WHO WON OLYMPIC GOLD IN THE MEN'S TIME TRIAL, AND TEAM GB CYCLIST CHRIS FROOME, WHO WON BRONZE, POSING FOR PHOTOGRAPHERS IN FRONT OF A POSTER WHICH READS IN ENGLISH: "TEAM GB OUR GREATEST TEAM" PARIS, FRANCE (FILE - JULY 22, 2012) (REUTERS) WIGGINS CELEBRATES ON THE PODIUM AFTER WINNING THE TOUR DE FRANCE, HAVING BEEN HELPED BY FROOME MALLORCA, SPAIN (FILE - JANUARY 24, 2013) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF FROOME (LEFT), VASIL KIRYIENKA AND KANSTANTSIN SIUTSOU (RIGHT) TRAINING ON STATIC BIKES VARIOUS OF CHRIS FROOME (BLACK BOOTS), VASIL KIRYIENKA (BLUE HOOP ON LEG) AND KANSTANTSIN SIUTSOU ON TRAINING RIDE ON ROADS OF MALLORCA (SOUNDBITE) (English) TEAM SKY RIDER CHRIS FROOME, TALKING ABOUT RIDING WITH BRADLEY WIGGINS IN TOUR DE FRANCE, SAYS: "Last year I had the opportunity of being right at the front of the race, of the Tour de France, right behind Bradley. When the racing took place I was always right there but I didn't have any of the pressure that Bradley had - to deal with the press, the fans and everything. So for me I think it was a perfect learning opportunity for me." MORE OF FROOME (BLACK BOOTS), KIRYIENKA (BLUE HOOP ON LEG) AND SIUTSOU ON TRAINING RIDE IN MALLORCA
- Embargoed: 4th August 2013 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Spain
- City:
- Country: Spain
- Topics: General,People,Sports
- Reuters ID: LVA3T4MY3L7NO9KN353Y9CPA16W2
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- Story Text: Chris Froome, the British rider who aided Bradley Wiggins to his 2012 Tour de France win, is in prime position to win the Tour in his own right on Sunday (July 21), barring a disaster.
Froome won just one stage outright in the 2012 race but came second to Wiggins in the general classification as he helped him to victory.
This year Wiggins concentrated on the Giro d'Italia, falling ill during that race and ruling himself out of the Tour de France.
Froome had already been selected by Team Sky to lead during the Tour de France and he has won four out of the five stage races he has entered this year.
The Kenyan-born rider has claimed overall victory in the Tour of Oman, the Criterium International, the Tour de Romandie and the Criterium du Dauphine this year.
Froome has won three stages of the 2013 Tour de France, claiming stages 8 and 9 - both mountain climbs - as well as the stage 17 individual time trial.
Although he carries a British passport, Froome was born in Kenya and was educated in South Africa.
He has already disclosed that he has plans to keep targeting the Tour de France, hoping to dominate the event for "years to come". - Copyright Holder: FILE REUTERS (CAN SELL)
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