Victoria’s surf coast to be vital for Chris Froome’s Herald Sun Tour preparations

VICTORIA’S surf coast will play a vital role in Tour de France champion Chris Froome’s Jayco Herald Sun Tour preparations.

L'ALPE D'HUEZ, FRANCE - JULY 25: Chris Froome of Great Britain and Team Sky crosses the finish line at the end of the twentieth stage of the 2015 Tour de France, a 110.5 km stage between Modane Valfrejus and L'Alpe d'Huez on July 25, 2015 in L'Alpe d'Huez, France. (Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)

ALREADY home to two of Australia’s greatest cyclists - Cadel Evans and Phil Anderson - Victoria’s surf coast will play a vital role in Tour de France champion Chris Froome’s Jayco Herald Sun Tour preparations.

Froome will base himself near the Great Ocean Road ahead of the February 3-7 Herald Sun Tour, which has drawn a star-studded entry list featuring national champion Jack Bobridge and the might of Orica-GreenEDGE.

Bidding for a third Tour de France victory in July, Froome is expected to arrive in Melbourne six days before Australia’s oldest stage race starts with a blistering twilight prologue along Southbank on February 3.

Race director John Trevorrow has confirmed Froome will travel to Adelaide to share a training camp with Team Sky riders.

The camp will start the day after the Tour Down Under finishes.

With some of his team-mates bound for the Middle East, Froome will then head to Melbourne to honour a stunning coup for racing organisers.

Froome, 30, collected his second Tour de France in July and is using the Herald Sun Tour as a platform for another successful season.

The Briton’s main focus this season is balancing tilts at a third Tour de France victory and time trial and road race glory at the Rio Olympic Games.

Froome last rode in the 2008 Jayco Herald Sun Tour as a 23-year-old member of the Barloworld team, coming off a debut Tour de France where he rode strongly up Alpe d’Huez and in the final time trial.

Finishing fourth on the overall general classification behind tour winner Stuart Grady, Froome rode in support of teammates Baden Cooke and Daryl Impey who both captured stage wins. He almost claimed a stage win himself, finishing second on the climb from Alexandra to Mount Buller.

Froome also contested the 2006 Commonwealth Games - representing Kenya - where he finished 17th in the time trial and 25th in the road race.

He also participated in the mountain bike event, even though he’d never ridden a mountain bike.

The 2011 Tour de France winner, Evans lives at Barwon Heads, while Anderson, the first Australian to wear the yellow leader’s jersey in the world’s most prestigious race, has a base near Wye River.