Orange, France – Tour de France favourite Chris Froome on Monday declared himself “extremely proud” to represent Britain, despite having been born and brought up in Africa.
Froome was born in Kenya and moved to South Africa as a teenager but qualified for British nationality because his father and grandparents were born there and began to ride for Britain in 2008.
Despite that, he had never even been to the United Kingdom until he competed in the Tour of Britain in 2007 but he says he has no doubts whatsoever about his ties to the country.
“I feel 100 percent British,” he said at a news conference on Monday, the second rest day of this year's Tour de France.
“I am extremely proud of being British and I really appreciate the many messages of support I have received from the British public.”
That support has been clear for all to see on this year's Tour, with hordes of British fans carrying Union Jack flags having been visible all the way along the roads of France over the last two weeks.
Britain is on course to see one of its representatives win the leader's yellow jersey for the second year in a row following Bradley Wiggins's triumph in 2012. – Sapa-AFP