Cycling news - Chris Froome: 'I can win the Tour de France. People writing me off is an advantage'

The Tour is currently scheduled to begin on August 27 after being postponed due to the coronavirus, and Froome - despite a lack of racing in his legs - is still targeting a fifth Tour title this year.

“Given recovery has been successful and my track record, that’s the plan,” he said in an interview with The Times. “I’d like to think that chances are I can do it. Nothing is written in stone, or given in sport but I’ve got the experience, loads of motivation and I want to make it happen obviously.

“Going through what I have been the last year, it did give me a lot of time to think. Looking at other athletes who have been through similar experience and come back stronger I can understand why now. It gives you a whole new perspective on your career and racing. In cycling we saw [Alejandro] Valverde break his leg in the Tour, come back and the following season he ended up world champion.

Froome has been in long-term recovery from his life-threatening injuries sustained in a crash at the Criterium du Dauphine last June. But he says that he finally feels like he is back to be capable of performing at his best.

“I’d say the recovery process is fully finished,” the Team Ineos rider says. “What remains now is to return to that top fitness where I’m capable of winning races.

"I'm pretty much bang on where I would be at this time of year in a normal season. The last couple of months have bought me a little bit of extra time to make sure that right leg, that right side of the body, is firing properly before I really load it up.

“It’s pretty motivational thinking that was less than a year ago and now I am back in full training mode and hoping to win a Grand Tour this year. It’s an amazing contrast.”

There is currently no World Tour racing scheduled to take place until August, with the World Championships, Giro d'Italia and La Vuelta all pencilled in by the UCI to follow a September Tour de France.