Chris Froome finishes 12th in 2023 Melbourne to Warrnambool Cycling Classic, praises running of event

Froome, 37, was a late entry for Saturday's 267km road race, with his inclusion announced on Friday to much fanfare. Incredibly Froome arrived at the start line with no time to warm up after his flight was delayed.

"It's been a fantastic well-organised event," Froome told The Standard. "I came here for a big day out and it didn't disappoint.

"It was a fantastic training exercise for me. It was a really full-on day on the bike and I'm glad I came out."

Froome, who congratulated eventual winner Tristan Saunders, rode as an individual to finish 12^th with a time of 7:05.31.

He said it was different experience riding solo compared to within a team.

"It almost takes me back to my under-23 days," he said.

Froome thanked organisers for making a donation to his charity Safari Simbaz - a cycling project based in his home country, Kenya.

"It's a project helping kids from difficult backgrounds get into cycling and basically have a second chance at life through the bike," he said. "The project is in it's very early stages and we're hoping to build great things with them."

Froome, who won his first Tour de France in 2013 before completing a three-peat from 2015-2017, currently rides for UCI World-Team Israel-Premier Tech.

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