As a contender for the Grand Tours, Chris Froome was “born” at the Tour of Spain last year.
He entered the Vuelta with the role of helping out Bradley Wiggins who had crashed at the Tour de France and wasn’t completely sure of his physical condition but the Kenyan-born lanky rider from Team Sky discovered his huge potential and eventually finished second to Juan José Cobo in the overall ranking.
He clocked the best time of the whole field over the three weeks of racing but missed the victory by thirteen seconds as the Spaniard collected thirty seconds of time bonuses more than him. It led the race organizers to modify the scale for the 67th edition of the Vuelta, starting this Saturday in Pamplona. Instead of the time bonuses of 20, 12 and 6 seconds to the top three finishers of every stage, 12, 8 and 4 seconds will be awarded this time around.
However, had this rule been implemented already last year, Cobo would still have won, but by three seconds only instead of thirteen. While Froome’s profile has raised drastically in the past twelve months, the Briton is on paper the strongest challenger that race favourite Alberto Contador will face.
Q: Did you fall in love with the Vuelta last year?
A: Having done all three Grand Tours, I can confidently say I enjoy the Vuelta the most. Last year and the way the race unfolded will always be a highlight for me.
Q: How much has this race been the milestone of your career and paved the way to your successes at the Tour de France and the Olympics?
A: It was the first race where I was able to show my potential in Grand Tours and consequently gave me the opportunity to target races like the Tour and the Olympics this year.
Q: Why are you a candidate for doing the Vuelta again?
A: Doing the Vuelta again has always been a goal for me this year, and I hope to be able to carry the form from the Tour and the Olympics on for a few more weeks.
Q: Do you think you can maintain the same level of form as at the Tour de France until September 9?
A: It’s going to be difficult, but I will certainly do my best. With the Olympics, it has been difficult to focus on preparation for the Vuelta.
Q: Is Contador beatable?
A: Anything can happen over three weeks, especially in Spain.
Q: What do you know of the course of the 2012 Vuelta?
A: I haven’t seen much of the course myself, but I’m expecting a tough three weeks ahead of me.
Q: What is your real ambition for this race?
A: I hope to get the best out of myself in terms of the general classification, where that is exactly, who knows. I’d certainly love to win a Grand Tour after finishing second in the last two that I’ve done.
Q: Is the 2012 Vuelta the second milestone of your career? Is this THE race for you to take the leadership of Team Sky in the Grand Tours?
A: My focus for this year was to be ready for the Tour de France, but this will be the first time for me going in to a Grand Tour as team leader. I just hope to make the most out of it and make it a successful Tour for Team Sky.