Team Sky look to have a strong team time trial at Critérium du Dauphiné
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Chris Froome (Team Sky) makes his way to the start(Image credit: Sirotti)
Chris Froome (Team Sky)(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Chris Froome (Team Sky) signs autographs ahead of the stage(Image credit: Sirotti)
Chris Froome (Team Sky)(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Team Sky after winning the Tour de Romandie TTT(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Richie Porte (Sky)(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Chris Froome (Team Sky) is hopeful that teammate Richie Porte can recover in time for next month's Tour de France. Porte went into last month's Giro d'Italia as the team's leader but was forced out in the final week due to a combination of bad luck, untimely punctures, and a crash that saw him damage a knee and hip.
The Australian is now back at his base in Monaco and preparing for the Tour. Froome, on the other hand, is competing at the Critérium du Dauphiné where he is seeking a second title in three years.
"So far I'm happy with how the form is going. We've not done any big mountain days yet but I'm feeling good since that period after I did Romandie. After I did that race I had a block of training and went up to altitude with the guys and it's left me happy with where I am at the moment," Froome told Cyclingnews after cooling down after stage 2.
"This is the last real test before the Tour so it's a chance to really open up on the climbs and see where I'm at and where my rivals are. It will tell me what I need to do before the Tour de France. I'll know what tweaks I need to make in my training."
Team Sky tend not to announce a Tour de France long list and the core of their July squad has yet to be revealed as they wait on the fitness of Porte and the rest of the Giro d'Italia team, as they recover from their May efforts.
"I think there's a core of guys here who will be going back to back and going to the Tour. I wouldn't say that this is 100 per cent the Tour team as there's one or two guys like Thomas and Richie who are missing," Froome told Cyclingnews.
"Hopefully Richie can bounce back after this Giro but a lot depends on this period of racing and how the guys go at the Tour of Switzerland as well. Then I'm sure the team will make the final call on what the team will be.
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"Of course the Dauphiné is an important race in its own right. It's a race where I've done well in the past and I'd like to do well again."
Froome's overall ambitions at the Dauphiné could well depend on Team Sky's performance in Tuesday's 24.5km team time trial from Roanne to Montagny, in which the squad will be looking to improve on their recent TTT showing at the Giro d'Italia. With a team time trial in this year's Tour de France, stage 3 at the Dauphiné takes on even further significance.
"It's a big goal for us because obviously the team time trial is a big part of the Tour de France. It's another dry run at that and every time you can do a TTT you come out of it having learnt a bit more and become more dynamic."
Daniel Benson was the Editor in Chief at Cyclingnews.com between 2008 and 2022. Based in the UK, he joined the Cyclingnews team in 2008 as the site's first UK-based Managing Editor. In that time, he reported on over a dozen editions of the Tour de France, several World Championships, the Tour Down Under, Spring Classics, and the London 2012 Olympic Games. With the help of the excellent editorial team, he ran the coverage on Cyclingnews and has interviewed leading figures in the sport including UCI Presidents and Tour de France winners.
