AFP, France :
Chris Froome is set to be crowned Tour de France champion for the second time on Sunday, but he is already planning his next success.
The 30-year-old Briton says that impending fatherhood will only make him stronger and more determined.
Froome fought grimly despite a chest complaint to limit his losses to Nairo Quintana on Saturday’s 20th and penultimate Tour stage finish on the iconic Alpe d’Huez climb.
Barring an unlikely mishap, he will claim a second Tour crown in Paris on Sunday.
Quintana clawed back 1min 20sec on Froome but the Sky team leader still secured Tour victory by 1min 12sec from the 25-year-old Colombian.
In a few months, Froome will become a father for the first time, but he says that won’t dampen his will to win.
“If anything I’m going to probably have even more motivation and reason to pedal my bike faster,” he said.
“Obviously, being a parent will change life for me but a lot of bike riders out there have kids and seem to have managed just fine.
“I’ve been speaking to a lot of other riders and some teammates who have recently had kids and it’s been almost like reborn energy to keep chasing their career goals-I hope that will be the case with me.”
Froome said that while winning the Tour-which he first did in 2013 — is enough to make anyone’s career, for him the process of preparing to win is his true motivation.
‘I love sacrificing’ -And he said he certainly is not going to be satisfied with two Tour crowns.
“For me, that’s what this is all about, that’s a side of cycling I love. I love sacrificing, I love training, hard work, that’s what gets me out of bed in the morning,” he said.
“I’m not trying to do it for a specific amount of Tour de France titles, for fame or some kind of award.
“I love pushing my body to its limits, I love the freedom cycling gives you. I’d like to carry on as long as my body allows me.
“I’ve set myself a goal to keep doing this until the age of 36, 37 or 38 maybe.
“Who knows if I can carry on that long but I’m definitely going to try.”
While many people marvelled at Froome’s stunning stage 10 victory up to La Pierre-Saint Martin, the man himself said what had made the difference during the race was his consistency.
Quintana lost a lot of time in the first week and another minute up to La Pierre-Saint Martin, meaning that once he reached his favourite playground-the Alps-he was already 3min 10sec behind Froome.
“It’s a quite fair assessment saying consistency. If you look at the time (gained) in the crosswinds on stage two or the time on Mur de Huy, at all points of this Tour when the general classification was decided,” said the champion-elect.
“There was only one stage where I made a mark: on Pierre-Saint Martin. On the the rest of the stages I was trying to be as consistent as possible and chip away, staying as close as possible to the team.
“I have to thank them for that, they positioned me in the right place, at the right time.
“I found out last year what happens if you’re not in the right place, in the right time-you get caught in the moment (he crashed out of the race).”
