Chris Froome up against altitude on season debut in Colombia
With four stages taking place above 2,000m, the event will be good preparation for conditions in Tour de France in five months
Medellín — Four-time Tour de France winner Chris Froome will have his work cut out dealing with the altitude when he tackles the Tour Colombia starting on Tuesday, his rivals and teammate said. “Having Froome will be interesting because, apart from the rivalry, we’ll see how these riders go at altitude, how they feel, what they think,” Colombian Nairo Quintana, who has twice finished runner-up to Froome at the Tour de France, told sports daily Marca. Altitude will be an important feature of July’s Tour with seven climbs rising above 2,000m including the Col de l’Iseran, the highest paved mountain in Europe at 2,770m. While Quintana raced in last week’s Tour of San Juan in Argentina, where he finished eighth, 33-year-old Froome will be competing in his first race this season. But with four of the six stages taking place above 2,000m, Tour Colombia will be good preparation for what the riders will face in France in five months. Froome’s 22-year-old Colombian teammate, Egan Bernal, won...
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Subscribe now to unlock this article.
Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).
There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.
Cancel anytime.
Questions? Email helpdesk@businesslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00. Got a subscription voucher? Redeem it now.