The Tour de France has crossed the Channel and hostilities have resumed in France after the WorldTour’s elite teams were flown out of London last night.
But while planes were the order of the day on Monday night, defending champion Chris Froome has already made the crossing earlier this year – becoming the first man to ride through the Channel Tunnel.
Organised in collaboration with Team Sky’s sponsors Jaguar, the effort saw Froome ride from the Eurotunnel Terminal in Folkestone to Calais in the service tunnel.
Froome’s world-first ride was completed in approximately 55 minutes and saw the Kenyan-born Brit reach speeds of up to 65kph on his Pinarello Bolide time trial bike.
Reflecting on the ride, Froome said: “Cycling under the sea was an incredible experience. Opportunities to become the first person in the world to achieve these kind of feats are extremely rare nowadays, especially as a pro-cyclist.
“To become the first person ever to cycle through the Eurotunnel was right up there with some of the most iconic rides I’ve ever done – this must have been one of very few ‘world first’ rides left.”
Coinciding with the 20th year of the Eurotunnel, the ride, which took six months to plan, has been documented in a short film titled “Team Sky – Cycling Under The Sea”.
“We’re delighted for Chris to have had this opportunity, and I’d like to echo his thanks to both Team Sky and all at Eurotunnel who made it possible,” said Jaguar’s Mark Cameron.
Check out more photos of Froome’s world-first ride through the tunnel in the gallery below.
