Five things we learned from this year’s Tour de France
Following Chris Froome’s victory at the 2015 cycling classic on Sunday, we look at key points from the race:
The Course
It’s not just the riders and their rivalries that make for a great race, the course itself plays a pivotal role. Organisers ASO ratcheted up the challenges this year with crosswinds, cobbles, punchy short finishes and varied mountain parcours. From the very first day the racing was exciting and despite fears Chris Froome would run away with overall victory, the yellow jersey battle went down to the wire. A resounding success.
Sky Tour kings
They may polarise opinion but there can be no doubt that British team Sky hold the key to Tour success. Criticised for not yet winning either of the other Grand Tours, nor a monument one-day race, Sky don’t hide that their focus is on the ‘Grand Boucle’. Three victories in four years is a phenomenal achievement, but with domination comes damnation. Sky are unpopular in many quarters and some refuse to believe they are winning fairly, regardless of how many times team manager Dave Brailsford insists: “We race clean”.
