Chris Froome has opened up at the Web Summit in Dublin about his self doubt, even straight after winning races like the Tour de France.
Tour de France champion Chris Froome has been addressing the international Web Summit in Dublin and has opened up about his self doubt, even when winning.
In a wide ranging public interview at the tech event where tickets cost several thousand Euro, Froome said despite winning the Tour for the second time in July he was not satisfied with his performance.
“I came away thinking I wasn’t good enough,” he said.
“I thought I should have won more. ‘What can I change from my training so that I can be even more consistent next year?’
“There is very little time to absorb what has happened. You have to be looking at the next thing or you will slow down.”
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However, he believed going back next year to win would be made more difficult by the fact he is defending champion.
“There’s pressure on your shoulders and you’re being pulled left and right making appearances.”
He also believed it was easier to win when you are approaching competition after a period of disappointment or set back rather than going into a target period on the back of success.
“Those disappointments bring you straight back down to earth and they’re very humbling,” he said in reference to his crashing out of the 2014 Tour.
“It gives you that level of motivation where you want to get back to your best again.
“What’s more dangerous is moving on from a very successful position where you feel as if everything has gone right. There’s a danger of complacency.”
And while crashing out of the Vuelta this year was disappointing because of the wasted training and opportunity lost, it meant he was going into next year very determined to be the best again.
“It’s left me feeling I’ve got to get back,” he said looking ahead to next season.
“Since Lance Armstrong’s era no cyclist has ever won back to back Tour de France titles, since biological passports have come into effect. So for me, that’s a big motivation.”
And he told the audience made up of those looking for an edge in business that Team Sky’s constantly seeking out marginal gains was getting harder as the opposition was now working in the same way more than ever.
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He said the team had done small things like using gel for their hands and hair to sanitise themselves and ensure they do not pick up bugs on the road.
“It sets a mindset within the team,” he said of the margin gains philosophy.
“In every hotel our bedding, our mattresses, are taken from hotel to hotel. So you get the same night’s sleep.
“That’s not going to win you the Tour de France. But from a nutritional point of view, it’s just evaluating what our requirements are.
“Not taking supplements straight from a manufacturer; it’s about working with supplement manufacturers, and thinking about every little detail.”
And he urged those in the audience to have no fear about putting tradition aside and doing things their own way, adding the approach had been key to Team Sky getting ahead and staying out front.
“You can imagine the image of a new British team trying to modernise the sport,” he said.
“Not only are we trying to do it but we’ve got people who laugh at David Brailsford when he said we’d win the Tour de France in five years. It really has been a remarkable performance.
“You’ve got 75 to 80 people thinking about every little detail they’re doing. From chefs to carers to mechanics; you really do feel a buzz.”
While he had enjoyed October - “the one time of year I can have a beer and burger” – he was flying to Rio after his Dublin appearance to check the Olympic course.
And his goal for next year was not only to win the Tour de France, but to go on to Rio two weeks later still in peak condition and try for a gold medal.
Chris Froome's best bits in 2015
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