PARIS (AP) — After the beer and champagne celebrations, Chris Froome delivered a sobering and emotional message from the Tour de France winner's podium on the Champs-Elysees.
Ten days after the Bastille Day truck attack in Nice that killed 84 people, Froome — a Kenyan-born British rider who often trains on the French Riviera — reminded everyone what the Tour stands for.
"These events put sport into perspective but they also show why the values of sport are so important to free society," Froome said on Sunday in a prepared speech. "We all love the Tour de France because it's unpredictable but we love the Tour more for what stays the same — the passion of the fans for every nation, the beauty of the French countryside and the bonds of friendship created through sport.