Video: Chris Froome talks Tour de France defense

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Thumbs up from Chris Froome (Team Sky) (Image credit: Fotoreporter Sirotti)

Defending champion Chris Froome doesn’t class himself as the outright race favorite heading into this year’s Tour de France but he’s confident that he could be a main contender with the help of his eight carefully selected Team Sky teammates. The Kenyan-born Briton is looking forward to the Grand Depart from a home crowd on July 5 in Leeds, Yorkshire.

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“I wouldn’t necessarily see myself as the favorite but I do see myself as one of the main contenders,” Froome told Cyclingnews. “It’s a huge privilege for me to be starting in Yorkshire as the defending champion with the support of a home crowd to send us off on the upcoming three weeks.”

He has a tough fight ahead from rivals contenders like Alberto Contador (Tinkoff-Saxo), Vincenzo Nibali (Astana), Alejandro Valverde (Movistar), world champion Rui Costa (Lampre-Merida), Jurgen van den Broek (Lotto Belisol), Bauke Mollema (Belkin), Michal Kwiatkowski (Omega-Pharma QuickStep) and Andrew Talansky (Garmin-Sharp), among others.

In our latest video, Froome speaks with Cyclingnews about the strength and depth of Team Sky’s nine-man roster, all picked for specific roles to play on the road during the three-week Grand Tour. He also discussed how his crash during the sixth stage of the Critérium du Dauphiné affected his training heading into the Tour, and how it may have turned into blessing.

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