Now, at the end of his victorious career, Chris Froome already plans what he wants to do when he retires. However, before that, the 38-year-old cyclist has some unfinished business with the Tour de France.
Academy in Kenya
“Basically, we are thinking of starting a Cycling Academy, Chris Froome, in Kenya, at the base of Mount Kenya, at an altitude of 2,000 m. It has always been on my mind to want to do this, and now that I am approaching the end of my career, it’s the perfect time to start setting things up,” Froome said in the latest episode of the Geraint Thomas Cycling Club Podcast.
Cross-Country in the African country
“I used to run cross-country back there, and whenever we did cross-country between schools or something like that, I was simply killed by the Kenyans. They are obviously the best long-distance runners in the world.”
“I always felt a bit ridiculous, knowing that there are much better athletes, in the true sense of the word, much better than me in East Africa,” he explains. “They didn’t have access to bikes; cycling really doesn’t exist there. They have no equipment, no training, no structure at all.”
“I really think that within a period of 10 to 15 years, we could see something similar to how the Colombians emerged in the last decade,” Froome theorizes. “I truly believe that we will have a lot of East Africans emerging,” adds the Briton.
Tour de France 2024
Before starting this process, however, the four-time Tour de France winner is looking forward to another year in the French Grand Tour.
“It would be magical to win a stage or find myself in a breakaway that goes all the way to the finish. Like last year when I finished third on Alpe d’Huez, it was very magical, would have been better if Tom Pidcock wasn’t there,” laughs the Israel – Premier Tech cyclist.
“A victory in the Tour for me now would be super special, or even being closer, more or less with the GC guys, would be a very special way to finish.”