Chris Froome enjoyed a day of cycling redemption on the Tour de France stage to L’Alpe d’Huez, going in the break of the day and finishing third behind Tom Pidcock (Ineos Grenadiers) and Louis Meintjes (Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert).
Froome has faced a long, long comeback from the terrible injuries he suffered in a crash while training before the time trial at the 2019 Critérium du Dauphiné, but could smile proudly beyond the finish line on stage 12 atop L’Alpe d’Huez.
“I gave it everything I had today and I don't have any regrets,” Froome said.
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“Where I've come from in the last three years, to finish third on one of the hardest stages of the Tour, I can be really happy with that.”
"I've been feeling better and better. I've been wanting to target a stage like today and try my luck in the breakaway. I gave it everything I had."
Froome is now 37 and has often been written off but he is going to keep on racing.
“I'm going to keep pushing. I don't know where my limits are. I'll keep trying to improve and hopefully get back to winning ways again,” he said, ever optimistic.
Froome was not part of the original breakaway that formed in the valley road outside of Briancon but was smart enough to attack on the lower slopes of the Col du Galibier and chased the six riders.
He was joined by Tom Pidcock on the long, fast descent, often struggling to hold his wheel but he made sure he was in the move.
"He was flying on the descents today,” Froome said of Pidcock.
“His bike handling and MTBing came in handy today. I definitely backed off a bit, because he was definitely pushing the limits.”
Froome rode well, intelligently, over the Col de la Croix de Fer and on the lower slopes of L’Alpe d’Huez.
When Pidcock attacked and Meintjes chased him, Froome paced his effort to secure third place and see if he could catch them. He could not have done any more.
“Naturally I would have loved to put my hands in the air and win the stage but no regrets,” he said.
"I didn't have any more to give on that final climb. Tom and Louis had more in the engine than me today. Congrats to them. Thanks to my team and teammates for allowing me the chance to get up the road today."
