Chris Froome is back to the Giro d’Italia. Four times Tour de France title holder is targeting the Corsa Rosa for the first time in his career and a lot of variables are weighting on this experience. First and foremost there is a general unease and curiosity about his feelings with a view to the trial regarding the use of Salbutamol which is still pending against him. Secondly, Team Sky’s leader has never attempted the Giro-Tour double. However, Chris Froome has already succeeded in winning two Grand Tours in a row. Indeed, Froome heads to the Giro d’Italia with the aim of replaying the victories achieved last year at the Grande Boucle and at the Vuelta.
Froome: “I am not worried about the questions that are not about the sport”
Chris Froome commented his state of mind regarding to the matters that do not concern the sport: “It’s all part of what we do. It doesn’t cause me much stress and it doesn’t disturb my preparation. I am not worried about the questions that are not about the sport strictly speaking”.
“It’s fantastic to be here at the start and to be hopefully ready for the next few weeks. It’s been a very different approach this year doing a lot more of the Italian races and having to be ready a lot earlier then if I was just focusing on the Tour de France. I feel as if I am ready and I am certainly looking forward to start racing“.
“We’re taking a very silimar approach to what I did last year but just moved everything earlier in terms of the altitude camps and the racing. The last race I did was the Tour of the Alps few weeks ago. I came fourth there. I didn’t win but I certainly felt as I had progressed and I was heading to the right direction. I’d like to think I am on the upwards trajectory at the moment and just going keep building on that hopefully through the race“.
Froome also spent a few words on Friday’s opening stage of the Giro di’Italia. “Tomorrow it will be a very important day even on such short time trial. It is technical and it’s up and down. The gains and losses could be 20 or 30 seconds if anyone’s on a really good or a really bad day“.