British rider says winning his second Olympic medal is an 'amazing feeling'
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Chris Froome with the bronze in Rio
Chris Froome (Great Britain) on the Pontal course(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Chris Froome (Great Britain) after claiming bronze, four year's on from also winning bronze in the time trial(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Chris Froome (Great Britain) congratulates Fabian Cancellara on his victory(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Fabian Cancellara and Chris Froome (Great Britain) recline before the podium ceremony(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Chris Froome (Great Britain) manages a smile after his third place(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Tom Dumoulin, Fabian Cancellara and Chris Froome made up the Olympic TT podium
Chris Froome (Great Britain)(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Chris Froome (Great Britain)
Chris Froome came into the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro as the odds-on favourite for the gold medal in the road race and time trial after three weeks of complete domination in the Tour de France. Despite giving it everything he had in the time trial on Wednesday, he just managed to sneak onto the podium with the bronze medal. But he said he was happy with the result.
"I can't be disappointed with that," Froome said. "Of course I would have liked to have been in with a chance of going for gold but I gave it everything that I had today, and at the end of the day I have to be happy with that."
Froome was the last rider off in the 54.6km time trial, chasing the increasingly large margins of eventual winner Fabian Cancellara (Switzerland). At the first check Froome was 20 seconds down, and drew even with a strong push at the end of the first lap. But it proved costly - he was out of the medal contention on check 3, and were it not for a mechanical to Australian Rohan Dennis, who was second quickest at the same check, Froome might have missed out on the podium altogether. He finished 1:02 behind Cancellara.
"Fabian, he was the clear winner today. He was more than a minute ahead of me," Froome said. "I think if I'd lost by maybe five or six seconds then I might have been disappointed with myself, but Fabian was clearly the strongest guy today. I don't know what else to say. I gave it everything I had. I tried to hold back for the last lap, but I just didn't have any more."
Froome expressed his gratitude for his support crew for a season that included his third Tour de France victory and the overall Herald Sun Tour in addition to his bronze in Rio.
"It's an amazing feeling, the year that I've had. With the third Tour win and to come here and medal again for the second time at the Olympics is just incredible. I just want to thank everyone who has been a part of this, most notably David Rozman who has been looking after me this year, Tim Kerrison my coach and Team GB."
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