Chris Froome pays tribute to Simon Yates

Froome became the first Briton to win the race and also only the third cyclist in history to hold all three Grand Tour titles simultaneously on Sunday.

Despite the ongoing controversy over his adverse analytical finding for Salbutamol at the 2017 Vuelta a Espana, Froome insists he is fully focused on more success.

Froome said: “I’m going to take two or three days off to relax with my family, but then it’s straight back into training.

“It’s six weeks to the start of the Tour de France, so that’s the big goal now. I want to be in the best shape possible for the start in July.”

A fifth Tour de France victory for Froome would lift him alongside Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault, Jacques Anquetil and Miguel Indurain for the most wins in the event.

Meanwhile, Froome paid tribute to his fellow Briton Simon Yates, who looked set to win his maiden Grand Tour title until a calamitous stage on Friday left him out of contention.

Yates led the standings for much of the race, but on the same day as Froome burst from fourth to first in the general classification Yates finished more than half an hour behind.

Froome added: “Simon rode an incredible race. Obviously he’s a rival of mine and I was trying to beat him, but for two and a half weeks he was on top form and was amazing.

“He had such a strong lead and it really looked as if he was going to win the race. Unfortunately, it was two or three days too much for him.

“I’ve got no doubt he will win one of these big races one day.”