When you think of Chris Froome, what do you picture?
Is it that victory on La Planche des Belles Filles at the Tour de France in 2012, ahead of Bradley Wiggins, as he announced himself on the world stage? Is it his dominant performances in 2013 and 2015, as he became the first British rider to win the Tour twice? Is it any of the madness of his third Tour crown in 2016, the running up Mont Ventoux, the attack off the Peyresourde to victory, or getting in a breakaway with Peter Sagan? Is it his surge to victory at the 2018 Giro d'Italia, the epic on the Colle delle Finestre? There's so much to choose from.
Or is it anything after the horror crash he suffered at the Dauphiné in 2019? The five years at Israel-Premier Tech, which saw only eight top-20 finishes, and two individual top-10s? Is the Chris Froome you think of the one who finished 97th at the Tour de Suisse last year, or 113th at the Vuelta a España in 2022, the rider who won the whole race twice? Is it even his use of asthma drug salbutamol in 2017, which he received an adverse analytical finding for, over which he was exonerated?
There's Froome the influencer, the brand ambassador, the figurehead, as opposed to Froome the great racer. It feels almost a shame that the memories of the two have become blurred.
Three years ago, when asked if Froome has been value for money, Israel-Premier Tech's owner, Sylvan Adams, told Cycling Weekly: “Absolutely not. How could we say we had value for money? We signed Chris to be the leader of our Tour de France team and he’s not even here so that cannot be considered value for money.
“This is not a PR exercise. Chris isn’t a symbol, he isn’t a PR tool, he’s supposed to be our leader at the Tour de France and he’s not even here, so no I couldn’t say he’s value for money, no.”
Looking back, it's easy to suggest that Froome should have retired while he was at the top, and not had this public battle with form and relevance. It's true, we might have a very different view of Froome if he had left the sport in 2019. However, who are we to deny Froome the opportunity to keep on racing, which he clearly loved, given he was offered a five-year contract to keep doing his job. He suffered from serious injuries, and bounced back, wanting to return to the top – his commitment should be respected.
Froome's retirement, long-expected, long-trailed, long-awaited, was finally confirmed this week. The truth is, in time, we will remember Froome the rider, the dominant stage racer of his generation, the man who made the Tour de France predictable before Tadej Pogačar was even an adult.
A short list of British riders who have won more than one Grand Tour: Chris Froome, Simon Yates. An even shorter list of British riders who have won more than two Grand Tours: Chris Froome. That's his legacy.
