Tour de force from Froome means he'll journey up the Champs Elysees draped in yellow to certain glory

Last year it was the king of cool, the mod-on-a-bike, Bradley Wiggins. This year it's the boy-next-door, Chris Froome.



And in Paris Froome will, barring a disaster, join Wiggins in one of the most exclusive clubs in sport: British winners of the Tour de France.

Yet, beyond that, they have nothing in common. Last year, when Wiggins was asked repeatedly about doping, he cracked, unleashing an expletive-laden rant that ended with the very worst insult in the English language.

Ready to go: Froome pictured as he prepares to begin Saturday's stage

Almost there: Chris Froome pictured as he realises he is close to winning the Tour de France after finishing third in Saturday's stage

Last Monday, when Froome found himself under even more intense suspicion, he became upset, bemoaning the fact that after the greatest performance of his life, on Mont Ventoux, he was having to defend himself.Like Wiggins, Froome also ended his impassioned little speech with a c-word.

'It's not cool,' he said.

It was as close to a show of emotion as we've had. Where Wiggins was spiky and charismatic, Froome is unerringly polite, but also impassive and reserved, even when asked about growing up in Africa - despite being in possession of a huge bank of colourful stories, of bike rides in the Kenyan wilderness and encounters with hippos and crocodiles.

Winning feeling: Nairo Alexander Quintana of Colombia wins the 20th stage

Uphill battle: Quintana and Froome contest the 20th stage

Picturesque: Riders make their way around Lake Annecy at the start of stage twenty

Perhaps it is this background that has equipped him to withstand the scrutiny that has accompanied his exceptional performances, especially his two mountain stage wins, at Ax-3-Domaines and Ventoux, and his victory in Wednesday's time trial.

For Sir Dave Brailsford, the Team Sky principal, Froome's zen-like calm and stoicism have been his most impressive traits.

'His calmness and mental robustness have been unbelievable,' says Brailsford, who singles out stage nine, the second day in the Pyrenees, when the team were under siege and Froome found himself isolated.



'We race as a team, but he found himself in a very unorthodox situation and I think he adjusted to that, and coped with that, fantastically well. He's coped very well with the on-bike stuff, but also with the off-the-bike stuff. All the questioning. If you know you're not cheating, and you get that - and I know people say, "well we don't know" - but he knows [he's not]. And we know.



'And when you watch the slaughter of an innocent man, that's quite hard to take.'

Showing his colours: A supporter holds a French flag as overall leader Froome rides past

Another challenge for Froome has been that his team have appeared, when the pressure is on, not to be up to the job of supporting him. An exception has been Peter Kennaugh, the 24-year-old from the Isle of Man riding his first Tour. He has been tipped as a future contender; if so, he recognises Froome as an inspiring mentor.

'I love riding for Chris,' says Kennaugh. 'He's an incredible leader. He's calm. When we're at the dinner table he gives you good criticism. He tells you what you need to know. He's an easy person to talk to, a very open person and very thankful and grateful for the work you're doing.'

Kennaugh adds that Froome 'remembers where he's come from', which refers to his early struggles in the peloton.

On the road to glory: Froome rides to glory in France

Geraint Thomas, the Sky team-mate who is on the verge of finishing the Tour despite having ridden with a broken bone in his pelvis since a crash on day one, recalls Froome as 'a bit oblivious' when they rode together at the Barloworld team in 2008.

'He hadn't grown up watching bike racing so he was a bit oblivious to certain riders and things,' says Thomas. 'He's still a bit like that now. He'll say, "Who was that?" And you say, "That's Nibali, mate".'



Italian Vincenzo Nibali, was third behind Wiggins and Froome in last year's Tour.



Brailsford recalls his first encounter with Froome, during the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne.

'I was with Shane Sutton [the British head coach] on the beach road in Melbourne during the time trial. Chris rode past, and Shane said: "Bloody hell, there's a bloke in a pair of sand shoes, and he's going fast."'

Hero: Chris Froome celebrates after finishing stage 20

John Robertson, the South African who gave Froome his break with a small professional team in 2007, recalls his protégé's first race in Europe: 'You kept hearing over the race radio, "Chris crash". When we first saw him on the bike, my mechanic said, "He can't sit properly on the bike. You've made a mistake signing this guy: he can't even ride in a straight line".'

Robertson is convinced Froome is clean. 'I know him, I lived with him, and I know he's the most anti-doping guy out there. It's others people should be asking questions of - guys who were performing much better a few years ago than they are now.

'With Chris the potential was always there ... He's a bit of an anomaly in terms of his physique, the way he rides his bike, his recovery.

'But the sport is cleaner now. And what we're seeing is that guys with natural genetic potential are winning.'

Route: People walking at the departure village seen through a giant map of the Tour de France race



