Chris Froome is back on Strava crushing massive kilometres in the New Year
The four-time Tour de France champion has a dodgy doping control on record but is back on Strava
Despite the salbutamol adverse analytical finding hanging over his head, Chris Froome has been smashing big rides in preparation for his 2018 season goals. The four-time Tour de France champion has been racking up big kilometres in Johannesburg, South Africa but instead of keeping the training secret, since Christmas, he’s started posting the rides on Strava.
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What prompted the change of heart we cannot know but being able to see the four-time Tour de France’s champions training regime puts into perspective what it takes to win two grand tours in a season. It’s a goal Froome is looking to repeat again in 2018 at the Giro and Tour.
The last ride Froome posted before this recent spate of activity was on March 9, 2017. His triumphant return to the social media training platform was on December 28 with a 169 km ride. During an hour interval in that ride he rode at an average speed of 44 km/h with an average heart rate of 138 bpm and an average cadence of 81 rmp. Unfortunately, Froome doesn’t post his power numbers. He followed that up the next day with a 180 km ride on Dec. 29.
The New Year started with a bang. Froome did a 157 km training ride consisting of three ten minute intervals. In the next week he would smash some huge kilometres with rides of 199.8 km, a 13 km recovery ride on a mountain bike, 153 km, 170 km, 165 km on his time trial bike and 224 km. His longest ride of the season had a leg aching average speed of 37.9 km/h. If you aren’t keeping track, that’s seven consecutive rides to start the new year for a total of 1,082 km of pedalling, and 31 hours and 42 minutes in the saddle.
While we know very well pros do huge kilometres, it’s always interesting seeing what top riders are doing to get prepared for the season ahead. It’s also interesting to note that Froome is spending time mixing things up riding his tt bike, mountain bike and road bike all numerous times a week.
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On the final day of 2017, Froome posted an adorable photo with his son Kellan who came for a ride on Froome’s Pinarello mountain bike.
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While we wait for WADA and the UCI to settle on a ruling for Froome’s adverse analytical finding from the Vuelta a España we can hope he continues to upload his rides to Strava.
