Sky leader has “more modest expectations” at Vuelta a España
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Chris Froome is all smiles(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Chris Froome and his Team Sky teammates(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Chris Froome fell twice on stage 5 and left the race before the cobbles(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Before the racing can begin, a game of pass the parcel breaks out among the contenders for the Vuelta a España. Bookmakers’ fancy Nairo Quintana has claimed that the onus is on other teams to control the peloton. Alberto Contador, meanwhile, insists that Chris Froome is the outstanding favourite for victory. At the team presentation in Jerez de la Frontera on Friday evening, however, Froome was quick to deflect the pressure
Froome has suffered one brief scare since arriving in Spain, when he fell while en route to reconnoitre the course of the opening team time trial on Thursday afternoon, but he shrugged off the idea that he has been affected psychologically by his crashes at the Dauphiné and Tour.
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Barry Ryan is Head of Features at Cyclingnews. He has covered professional cycling since 2010, reporting from the Tour de France, Giro d’Italia and events from Argentina to Japan. His writing has appeared in The Independent, Procycling and Cycling Plus. He is the author of The Ascent: Sean Kelly, Stephen Roche and the Rise of Irish Cycling’s Golden Generation, published by Gill Books.
