Chris Froome eyes seven Tour de France triumphs - with a clean record
Briton sees no reason why he cannot go past five-time winners Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault and Miguel Indurain
Chris Froome believes he can win five more Tour de France races, making him a seven-time champion and the most successful rider in the history of cycling's greatest event.
The Briton, who celebrated his second Tour triumph last month, told the BBC he sees no reason why he cannot go past five-time winners Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault and Miguel Indurain.
American Lance Armstrong was stripped of his seven victories for drug use, but Froome said: "I want to be a spokesman for clean cycling".
I'd love to keep racing until my late 30s, for as long as my body will allow me to
Asked if he felt he could win five more times, Froome said: "Why not? I'm 30, other riders have won Tours into their late 30s, potentially I've got another eight or nine years left.
"I'd love to keep racing until my late 30s, for as long as my body will allow me to. I'd like to think I could go back again for the foreseeable future, four or five years at least."
Preparing to tackle the Vuelta a Espana later this month, Froome said: "I don't think any sportsman should have to go through what we went through [on the Tour de France].
"I mean urine thrown at you, Richie Porte was punched, I was spat on by spectators. I don't believe that should happen.
"I'd love to have a conversation with these people and say to them: 'What's the issue here?' Because I know there is nothing untoward about what I've done to get here.
"I'm happy to release more information when I can and to show people they can trust these performances. Because from my point of view, if I can win the Tour de France clean then you can win any bike race clean."
