During the Tour de France, Chris Froome faced harsh criticism from his critics. He had urine thrown at him and treated badly by the French public.
Froome recently did the Saitama Criterium where he had a completely different reception from the Japanese public.
"The Japanese fans are fantastic,” he told Het Nieuwsblad in Japan Here the fans support everyone. During the Tour, I had to endure some hard times. It shouldn’t be that the yellow jersey has to face something like that. Firstly, I consider it as the ultimate compliment. On the other hand they hurt, especially since I'm not doing anything wrong. If I really had something to hide or cooperated with a secret laboratory, it would haunt me mentally and be unbearable to live with. "
In an attempt to put an end to the criticism, Froome has undergone physiological testing and will announce the results before the end of the year. It’s partly a response to former riders Laurent Jalabart and Cedric Vasseur who were very critical during the Tour.
"When I was at the podium ceremony during the Tour, I didn’t see them,” he said when asked about the French ex-riders. “It seemed like they were hiding. A week after the Tour during the criteriums in France and during the Vuelta, I heard nothing negative. Why is it so at the Tour? Is it because I'm British? I do not think so, but perhaps because I ride for Team Sky. We have a different approach compared to the traditional teams. We are innovative and successful. But I was tested extensively after the Tour. Very soon those results will come out. I don’t find it right that cyclists have to do such things. But I repeat: I have nothing to hide. Furthermore, I can still make progress.”
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