English professional road racing cyclist Chris Froome has an estimated net worth of £11 million and an annual salary of £3 million.
Born on 20 May, 1985 in Nairobi, Kenya, Froome took in his first organised bike race at the age of 13. He won the charity race and met professional cyclist David Kinjah, who became Froome’s mentor and training partner.
Froome turned professional in 2007, aged 22, with the South African team, Konica Minolta, withdrawing from university two years into his degree in Economics. He started road racing in South Africa, specialising as a climber.
He competed from April to September for the Union Cycliste Internationale’s World Cycling Centre (WCC) team based in Aigle, Switzerland, in the U23 Nations Cup. He rode his first stage race, the Giro delle Regioni, winning stage five, riding for WCC in May, and later that month; he won stage six of the Tour of Japan. He competed at the “B” world championships in Cape Town the following month, placing second to China’s Haijun Ma in the 26.8-kilometre-long (16.7 mi) time trial. In July, he won a bronze medal in the road race at the All-Africa Games in Algiers, Algeria. On 26 September, he placed forty-first in the under-23 time trial at the world championships in Stuttgart, three minutes and thirty seconds behind the gold medalist, Lars Boom of the Netherlands.
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Froome was introduced to the British-based, South African-backed, second-tier UCI Professional Continental team, Barloworld, by South African Robbie Hunter, signing with them for the 2008 season. He made his Grand Tour debut when he was named in Barloworld’s squad for the Tour de France – becoming Kenya’s first participant, in which he finished 84th overall and 11th among the young rider classification. In October Froome finished fourth overall in the Herald Sun Tour in Victoria, Australia.
Froome won his first professional win in March 2009, with the second stage of the Giro del Capo in Durbanville, South Africa, attacking a ten-strong breakaway with 30 km (18.6 mi) and finishing four minutes ahead. He then participated in the Giro d’Italia, in which he came 36th overall, and seventh young rider classification.
In September 2009, it was announced that he was to join British cycling team, Team Sky, for the 2010 season. Froome rode the 2010 Giro d’Italia. During his first season with Sky, his best result was at the Tour du Haut Var, where he finished ninth in the overall standings. He also finished second at the 2010 national time trial championships, showing his ability in the discipline.
In October 2010, he represented England at the Commonwealth Games, in Delhi, coming fifth in the 40-kilometre-long (25 mi) time trial, two minutes and twenty seconds behind the winner.
On 16 September 2011, Froome signed a new three-year contract with Sky. He was part of the Great Britain team that helped Mark Cavendish win the world road race championship. In October, Froome finished third overall in the f
irst edition of the Tour of Beijing, 26 seconds behind overall winner, Tony Martin.
In 2012, Froome rode in support of Bradley Wiggins at the Tour de France, where he finished second to Wiggins in the general classification.
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Froome was selected for the Sky squad for the Tour de France. After placing 11th in the prologue, he suffered a punctured tyre 9 mi (14.5 km) from the end of stage one and lost over a minute to overall leader Fabian Cancellara (RadioShack–Nissan).
For La Toussuire, Wiggins went on to win the tour with Froome second, becoming the first two British riders to make the podium of the Tour de France in its 109-year history.
Froome, along with Sky teammates Wiggins, Cavendish and Ian Stannard, as well as Millar (Garmin–Sharp) were selected for Team GB’s road race at the Olympic Games. Froome was selected as Team Sky’s leader for the Vuelta a España ans lost by 55 seconds to the chasing group.
In October 2013, Froome was named winner of the prestigious Vélo d’Or award for the best rider of the year.
He finished second place in the Tour de France race in 2014. He won his second Tour de France victory in 2015.
Froome was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2016 New Year Honours for services to cycling.
He went on to claim his third Tour de France victory on 24 July 2016, and became Britain’s first ever three-time winner of the race.
Froome will also be taking part in the 2016 Olympics in Brazil.
