He was spat at, sprayed with urine, repeatedly accused of being a doper and on Saturday “died a thousand deaths” in one of the most gripping finales to a general classification battle seen in years. But after all the trials and tribulations of the last three weeks, Chris Froome eventually emerged triumphant, with his dignity intact, declaring his second Tour de France title to be very much a “win for Britain”.
Froome, who admitted that he feared he might have lost the famous maillot jaune to Movistar’s Nairo Quintana during Saturday’s final, nail-biting ascent of Alpe d’Huez, with the Colombian riding away from him in the final kilometres, still has the formality of riding into Paris, where he will be formally crowned Britain’s first two-time Tour champion. But in a hugely emotional press conference, the 30-year-old spoke of the pain, relief and satisfaction he felt at having come through what has clearly been an immense ordeal.
