Frequent injuries, most notably crashing out of the Tour de France, blighted the season for the 2013 Tour de France champion but Chris Froome still proved he is among the world’s top climbers.
Having kicked off his season with victory atop Green Mountain at the Tour of Oman – a win which brought him overall victory, too – Froome also went on to defend his Tour de Romandie title.
He looked strongest, however, at the start of the Criterium du Dauphine when he and his Team Sky team-mates setup one of the most memorable stage victories of the season.
Already wearing the yellow jersey after the previous day’s time trial, Froome buried his opponents one by one on the Col du Beal. His constant attacking showed a stunning reserve of strength and grit and only Alberto Contador (Tinkoff-Saxo) could keep up as Froome took the stage win.
Were it not for the crashes which blighted the Dauphine and then a short-lived Tour, who knows how the battle between the two would have played out?
As it was, we were given one tantalising glimpse at the Vuelta a Espana, where both returned from injury and Contador beat Froome into second place in the race for the red jersey.
Froome still won widespread plaudits for more gutsy climbing, with his method of setting a sustained rhythm as his rivals attacked and counter-attacked around him helping him even on days when he appeared in big trouble.
Fabio Aru (Astana), himself in fine climbing form this season having finished third at the Giro and fifth at the Vuelta, denied Froome a stage win on the stage 18 summit finish at the Spanish Grand Tour, with Aru overhauling an attack the Kenyan-born Brit had instigated, but fans should be relishing the prospect of a fully-fit Froome back in full flight next season.
Chris Froome in 2014
Stage wins: four
Grand Tour stage wins: none
GC wins in 2014: two (Tour of Oman, Tour de Romandie)
Champagne moment: A stunning win on stage two of the Criterium du Dauphine which, at the time, had fans drooling at the prospect of Froome versus Contador at the Tour.
