«Chris is finally pain-free and can train well.» The Chris in question is Froome, clearly. These words Claudio Cozzi, sports director of Israel Premier Tech, he had told them to us Tour of the Alps and he had repeated them to us Giro d'Italia.
And indeed, something is moving for the Briton. Positive signs were evident both in his sensations and in the race, and his computer began to report significant wattage again.
As Froome pedals the Tour de France at Dauphiné, we return to talk with Cozzi.
Pain down, watts up
"I confirm everything," says Cozzi. "In recent weeks, there have been improvements in training, but also in racing. And we saw it at the Mercan'Tour. I know that in these first days of the Dauphiné your feelings are good. I'm not with the team right now, but I spoke to Chris a few days ago as he wanted to try out a new radio and he repeated that he's pain-free and for this reason he's motivated and happy."
The most important thing, even before the numbers on the bike, which have returned to excellent, is the absence of pain. This changes everything. It changes your mood, increases your optimism, and restores your desire to train hard. Something Froome has never lacked, anyway. He's a workaholic. The famous virtuous cycle is triggered.
"To the Tour of the Alps For the first time, he told us he no longer felt the usual pain. He said he was feeling better than last year, so he knew he was on the right track. As for mileage and workload, not much had changed. Chris was never reluctant to train, even when he was sick.
«Regarding the values that are growing, these days I am not able to quantify them and I cannot, but the fact that a few days ago, when he won Birdsong (The Mercan'Tour (editor's note) was with the leading group until 10 kilometers from the finish is excellent news. It's something that would have been impossible until a few months ago."
Mental strength
Like a shark that smells half a drop of blood and triggers its killer instinct, Froome too, when he smells “half a leg,” as they say in slang, changes his horizons.
The Briton can really do well, he could truly be at a new turning point in his career. And even a good time trial or a successful stage finish at the Dauphiné can say a lot. If he were to finish among the leaders... the top champion would automatically regain the lead.
"Seeing how it goes, he gets fired up," Cozzi continues, "that's for sure. Chris is already fired up. He told me, 'I'm not sure if I'll ever win a major Giro again, but I don't want to end up like this.'"
"If he manages to get back to the top, 90% of it will be down to his desire, his stubbornness, his mental strength. Then, if he were to finish at the top, yes, I repeat, he'll be happy and motivated, something will click in his head, but he still doesn't have a magic wand."
Froome isn't setting goals for the race or for Tour positions. In fairness, I must say that his participation in the Grande Boucle isn't even official: there are 11 riders competing for eight spots, and he's one of them. The goal is to get back to his level, and that would be a starting point. If Froome returns to being Froome, then he can decide once and for all what to do.
Cozzi, to be honest, says that there hasn't been an official call-up yet, but the Tour de France is certainly Froome's goal: someone like him wants and "must" be in France.
Better in the saddle
The work was once geared toward the Tour and trying to win it; now it's always about the Tour, but as mentioned, first and foremost, about rediscovering yourself. And in that sense, the Tour is one of the stages you have to tackle.
«He trained well at Isola 2000 with the team. A lot of quantity and a lot of quality: there was no shortage of specific work, off-revs that reproduce race situations, and behind the engine.
There were: Woods, Fuglsang, Clark… They also took the opportunity to do some reconnaissance. But he has little to discover about the Tour, considering he's won four!
Cozzi then spoke of Froome's performance, which he also saw as good on the bike. The lack of pain also improved this aspect.
«Not that Chris is a great “stylist” on the bike – concludes the sport director of Israel PremierTech – but from what I saw at Tour of the Alps And from what I see of the races on TV, he seems better than last year. For example, in the race that Fuglsang won, I saw him clearly when he was up front with the leaders. And when I say good, I mean he moves less in the saddle. It's more stable.
"With Gary Blem, the mechanic he brought with him from the old team, they did a good job. Chris trusts him implicitly."
