Chris Froome is going into his first Tour de France as the defending champion but the Brit has certainly not had the spring season he was hoping for. Most recently, he crashed in the Criterium du Dauphiné which forced him to recover a bit more than originally planned, and now he hopes that the incident will be a blessing in disguise.

When he arrived at last year's Tour de France, Chris Froome had been the dominant rider of the spring season. The Brit had won the Tour of Oman, Criterium International, Tour de Romandie and Criterium du Dauphiné and could start the biggest race with plenty of confidence.

This year things have been different. In March a back injury set him back and he later suffered from a chest infection. Most recently, a crash hampered him in the Criterium du Dauphiné and saw him drop out of the top 10 after having dominated the race from its early phases.

The incident was a tough one for the defending champion who was heavily impacted by his injuries. He went straight to a recon ride of the Pyrenean stages but it took some time for him to find back his best feelings.

While the crash was certainly not ideal, Froome is trying to stay positive and hopes that it may even be a blessing in disguise.

"This year I've had more challenges to get ready for the Tour," he told several media yesterday. "I've had more problems with illness and crashes in Dauphine, which knocked me back, but I feel I've come through that now and I'm happy to be starting the race and be in condition that I am.

"I felt for a good week that I was struggling to pedal the way I was before the crash and it did take a big hit on me. I think it's always a big knock when you crash like that. You are forced to recover. But I look at it as if it's a small blessing so that I'm fresher going into the second and third week.

"I don't think it's meant anything, I've held back on the training and emphasised recovery a little more. But in the last five or six days, I feel like myself on the bike and am feeling really good. I'm sure I'll ride myself [into form] as the race progresses."

That extra freshness may be important as the race is set to be decided in its final week which is loaded with mountain stages in the Pyrenees. In principle, Froome can allow himself to ride defensively and take the yellow jersey on the penultimate day as he is - on paper - the best time triallist of the GC riders.

However, the defending champion refuses to reveal his tactics and for now he is just hopeful that he will get safely through the first part of the race.

"It's going to be difficult race to control and who knows which team will take control early on," he said of the British stages. "I think everyone will have the same approach: try to stay out of trouble and stay at the front but it's not physically possible for 200 riders so it's going to be interesting.

"My ideal scenario would be to get through the first week and be able to say 'we've put the more dangerous stages behind us and not lost time', that would be my perfect scenario.

"Beyond the first week, the race is going to be decided in the mountains. I've got more focus on the final time trial on stage 20. My biggest goal is to make sure that if I'm not in yellow, then I'm within striking distance of it by the final time trial.

"It's very much a case of reading the race out on the road, seeing exactly where we are in relation to our rivals. If there's a need to go on the attack early or if it's more sensible to hold on until the final time trial, that's a question and at the moment no one can answer it. We need to get through the first week and see where everyone is and take it from there."

Froome expects to be attacked in all terrains.

"I think both Alberto and Vincenzo have shown that they're very opportunistic racers and will always race the race, not only on the climb but also in the crosswinds, on the descents at any points on the Tour de France. I think that's what I expect," he said. "But that's how we'll approach every day of racing too. We'll go into the race expecting them to do something and so we have to be ready. We're also going into the race thinking every day will be a new opportunity and we'll make the most of it."

Froome may be the defending champion but he refuses to see himself as the favourite.

"If you look at Alberto's season up to now, I think he's still leading the UCI rankings, so that shows he's done well," he said. "I definitely wouldn't say he's the underdog and I'm not the clear favourite. I'm coming in as defending champion but I don’t think that makes me the number one favourite. There are a few guys who where who will be fighting for the win."