VIDEO: Chris Froome trains up the Steepest climb in the World
Chris Froome is closer to where he needs to be before this summer's Tour de France with his most recent block of training at altitude in Tenerife seeimngh hit his target racing weight
Chris Froome has spent a few weeks training at altitude ahead of both the Critérium du Dauphiné and Tour.
Froome and a handful of his Israel Start-Up Nation team-mates, take in 5,000m of climbing in a day split between intervals and all out endurance.
Froome rode to the north of the island to tackle some steepest ramps the 36-year-old called "the steepest climb in the world" as he zig-zags up the horrendous gradients.
"Those ramps...you've got to go pretty hard just to get up them and you can never see the top either," Froome says. "Just when you get to the top of one you get around the corner and the road just kicks up again. Gradients over 25, 30 per cent probably.
"Was a bit of a nasty surprise for the guys to finish off the training camp but they'll thank me for it in July."
Next up for Froome will be the Critérium du Dauphiné, beginning on Sunday May 30, before another two-week training camp in the lead-up to the Tour de France at the end of June.
"I really feel that block at altitude has had a big impact on me, I felt I was able to take a big step up there," Froome says, evaluating how he's feeling heading into this crucial part of the season for him. "I'm certainly feeling closer to where I need to be compared to where I was previously this season.
"This is an opportunity to test my legs on a challenging course and see how much progress I have made in the past month," Froome added of the upcoming Dauphiné.
After returning home from the altitude camp, Froome says he's been keeping up with the Giro d'Italia, and that the 2021 Italian Grand Tour is one of those races he's glad he's not racing.
"I've been watching the Giro a little bit these past few days, Egan [Bernal] has been destroying the field. He showed a little bit of weakness yesterday but nothing I don't think a good evening meal won't fix," he said.
"It's been a shocker of a race to watch, one of those were you think 'glad I'm not there' because the weather has just looked miserable and the conditions have been rough. If Egan manages to hold on to it, it will be a special win for him."