Only yesterday Chris Froome was stood atop the podium in Paris after becoming the second British rider ever to win cycling’s greatest prize, following Sky team-mate Bradley Wiggins’ success last year.
But with one life goal achieved, the Kenyan-born Brit has wasted no time in setting his sights on another – September’s World Championships in Florence.
With the route set to favour climbers, it is a rare chance for Froome to join Tom Simpson and Mark Cavendish in the elite list of British riders to win the rainbow jersey.
And after adding the maillot jaune and three stage victories to an already successful 2013, ‘Froome-dog’ has vowed there will be no let-up.
“I want to try to stay on it, to see the season through and not just switch off after the Tour,” he said.
“I’d like to get through to the World Championships because it’s an event that doesn’t often favour climbers the way it does this year. It’s a great opportunity to go for it.
“It would be amazing. My focus has just been on the Tour up until now but being world champ, that’s probably the second biggest thing after wearing the yellow jersey.”
Wiggins is expected to challenge for the time trial in Florence, but despite winning one individual time trial at the 100th Tour and only narrowly losing out to world champion Tony Martin in the other, Froome will not be challenging his team-mate.
He admitted: “I used to live not far from there and it’s very flat. I think it would suit guys like Tony Martin and Brad a lot better than it would suit me.”
Nevertheless, if Froome was to take victory in the world road race on September 29, he would become only the sixth rider to complete the Tour-World Championship double and the first since Greg LeMond in 1989.
Meanwhile, Team Sky principal Sir Dave Brailsford has urged Froome to keep going and has backed him to improve further and become a multiple Tour champion.
“I think the important thing for Froomie is that he doesn’t stop,” he said. “In terms of managing this success, I think he’s doing absolutely the right thing to stick to a game plan, because it gives him structure.
“And I think if you stop you don’t have any structure. Everything that has got him here is discipline and structure. If you take that away, you kind of lose your way.
“He is not at his best yet. For sure, he can still reach a better physical condition than he is now.
“It is impossible to say how many Tours Chris will win, but he has all the physical and mental attributes to be able to be competitive in this race, if nothing drastic changes, for quite some time.”
