Froome and Sky seek to restore calm to three days of departure

A delocalized press room to welcome dozens of media requests and a gymnasium heavily stocked by the international press: the excitement around Chris Froome and his Sky team took shape on Wednesday, three days before the start of the Tour. Vendee. As usual, it is all smiles, cap screwed on the head and with the British phlegm which characterizes it, that Chris Froome, quadruple winner of the Great Loop (2013, 2015, 2016, 2017), appeared Wednesday evening at Saint-Mars-la-Réorthe, for the press conference of his team before the Tour.

A closed procedure by the UCI

The hotel of his team, where the appointment was initially programmed , was not large enough to accommodate everyone. An attitude quite in contrast to the storm that raged strongly in the Vendée sky a few minutes before the arrival of Sky runners. And who has especially agitated the pack in recent weeks and months, with the anti-doping procedure concerning Froome since his abnormal control of salbutamol during the Tour of Spain in September and closed without result Monday by the International Cycling Union (UCI). [19659004] Pummeled for more than half an hour of questions essentially returning to the case, Froome remained impbadive, appealing to some 12 million spectators who are expected on the roads of the Tour. "To people who are not fans of Chris Froome and his team, I tell them: Put on a jersey of a team that you support and support the race in a positive way.Do not bring negative spirit! my advice, "said the 33-year-old rider born in Kenya.

His safety in question

Concerns about his safety during the ordeal have emerged, while Froome has been the target of past incidents minors with spectators, especially in 2015 during mountain stages. So much so that the UCI President, the Frenchman David Lappartient, also spoke on the subject on Wednesday, calling on fans "to make sure that Chris Froome can evolve in a safe and serene environment".

presentation teams Thursday in La-Roche-sur-Yon (Vendée), on the place Napoléon, will provide a first element of response. "I like France, I love the Tour de France, it's the most beautiful race in the world," added Froome, in an attempt at seduction, while its popularity with the French public is very contrasted.

"Biggest Challenge of My Life"

When asked whether this case damaged his image, Froome replied "Yes, of course," without wishing to point out whoever it was. . His manager Dave Brailsford wanted his side relatively serene. "We have confidence in the French," he said while speaking in French, while Froome also showed confidence, explaining that his Giro had gone well in May while the case was not settled yet.

Froome will attempt to win the Great Loop for the fifth time, and win for the fourth time in a grand round after his coronations at the Tour de France and Spain 2017 and in Italy in May. "This race is going to be the biggest challenge of my life, I have never chained Giro and Tour de France, it's a totally new situation for me," said Froome, who hopes to draw a line on "the worse nightmares "he has lived in recent months.

" We're going to have two different races with a first half in a format like in the clbadics, then a second half in the mountains ", he predicted .