Can Froome win a 5th – and do I care?

Let me start off with an apology…. well, maybe more of an explanation and an admission. I don’t know Chris Froome. I have no idea if he really is a terribly interesting bloke, the centre of attention at parties. For all I know, within his circle of friends he is known as “Fun Chris, the Wild Man of professional cycling.” I doubt it, but I cannot say for sure and this is what I am admitting to.

So, can Froome win a fifth Tour? This is the big question and my answer is that I am not sure if I really care. If we were talking about Geraint Thomas, Mark Cavendish, Bradley Envelope or, even at a push, David Millar I think I could excited. I think I could buy into the hype and share the hopes and fears of the nation as ‘our boy’ attempted to become one of the true great Tour de France legends.

But with Chris…. well, let’s be honest, he just isn’t that interesting. He is the Tim Henman of cycling and this is the big problem. To be a true national hero, someone that the country holds up as a sporting demi-god you really have to be a fire brand.

Keeping with the tennis comparison, this is why the world loved (and loved to hate) John McEnroe. As an athlete he was brilliant, but also unpredictable. He was angry and he shouted and he got pissed off at umpires and he threw his racquet around and swore. Pete Sampras was way more successful as far as wins were concerned. He was prolific but could you say he was “the greatest”? (That’s kind of a rhetorical question as the answer is no, he was boring and looked like Mutley).

And this is the problem Froome faces. History may show that he was the most prolific British cyclist but far from the most popular. He lacks the cheek of Cavendish, the swagger of Wiggins, the rage of Millar and the wisdom of Boardman.

So can he win a fifth Tour? Who knows, but, Chris, if you are one of the seven people who read this blog take my advice. You are great already. You’ve won the thing four times. Take a different approach this time round. Kick one of the motorcycle camera people off the edge of the Col de La Lusette, tell Eurosport to f**k off with their inane questions, start a fist fight with Geraint Thomas, get papped leaving a nightclub with Lance Armstrong and then throw your bike in a river. Do all those things, Chris and then we will REALLY love you and you will be the greatest British Cyclist of all time – from Kenya…. who lives in Monaco.