FACTBOX-Tour de France champion Chris Froome

Born: May 20, 1985 in Nairobi

Height: 1.86 metres

Weight: 69 kilos

Turned professional: 2008

AFRICA

* Starts riding in a group led by former Kenyan professional David Kinjah in the highlands of Nairobi, at 17.

* Represents Kenya and takes his first victory in 2006 at the Tour of Mauritius.

* Joins the Konica-Minolta team in South Africa, where he studies economics.

EUROPE

* Joins the Barloworld Continental team in 2008, riding with a Kenyan licence until May, when he chooses to ride with a British licence.

* Rides his first Tour de France that year, taking 84th place overall. His best result is 14th in a time trial.

* In 2009, Froome shows decent climbing abilities in the one-day Ardennes classics.

TEAM SKY

* Joins Team Sky in 2010. He is disqualified from the Giro d'Italia for hanging on a motorbike on a climb in the 19th stage.

* In 2011, he rides the Vuelta (Tour of Spain) at the service of team leader Bradley Wiggins. He wins a time trial and takes the overall lead but he pays for his work for Wiggins and drops out the next day. He still finishes second overall ahead of Wiggins.

SACRIFICE

* Rides the 2012 Tour de France as Wiggins's lieutenant, but expresses frustration on the bike as he seems better than his leader in the mountains.

* Wins his first Tour stage at the top of La Planche des Belles Filles in the seventh stage.

* Two days later, he attacks in the mountain stage to La Toussuire, but he is reined in by team sports director Sean Yates.

* He finishes second overall behind Wiggins and later in July, Froome takes bronze in the Olympics time trial behind champion Wiggins and German Tony Martin.

* Froome, very low on energy, manages fourth place overall at the Vuelta, over 10 minutes behind eventual winner Alberto Contador.

GLORY

* Announces in January that his season's goal is the Tour de France

* Wins the Tour of Oman in February ahead of several Tour de France contenders.

* Finishes second overall in the Tirreno-Adriatico stage race in March, beaten by Italian Vincenzo Nibali.

* Dominates the field easily at the Criterium International in Corsica.

* Wins the Tour de Romandie, retaining the leader's jersey all the way after the prologue.

* Takes the yellow jersey on the Tour de France after winning the eighth stage following a brutal attack in the climb to Ax-3-Domaines.

* Reinforces his domination by becoming the first yellow jersey to prevail at the top of the Mont Ventoux since Eddy Merckx in 1970.

* Wins the final mountain time trial nine seconds ahead of Contador.

* July 21: wins his maiden Tour de France title.