Chris Froome started the 2022 season injured and ended the season ill at age 37. But amidst the setbacks, there were glimmers of hope.

At the Tour de France, the four-time yellow jersey winner was unable to turn back the clock, but still put in his best performance in three years on the road to the Alpe d'Huez. He missed out on a stage win, but for the first time since his mid-2019 horror crash, he looked like a possible winner.

Froome broke his femur and other bones in a crash at the Criterium du Dauphiné, but always insists he can return to the level that won him four Tour wins, two Vuelta a España wins, and his last victory, the 2018 Giro d'Italia.

However, repeated setbacks and injuries have slowed his progress.

After a knee injury delayed the start of the 2022 season, Froome finished 11th in the Alpes-Maritimes Classic, earning him a spot in the Tour of Israel Premier Tech. He bridged the breakaway group over the Galibier, climbed the Croix de Fer pass, and finished third in the legendary Alpe d'Huez behind Tom Pidock and Louis Maintus.

"The Alpe d'Huez was a good stepping stone. It was good to be in the race and at least contend for a stage win," Froome said in an interview with selected media, including Cycling News, at the Criterium in Singapore.

"My main goal this season is to come into the Vuelta in top form. Up to and through the Tour, I was able to get back to being myself, like I was on the right track"

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However, Froome developed COVID-19 on stage 17 and was forced to leave the Tour.

"I have asthma and it affected me pretty badly. It was the first time I'd ever had asthma. It was the first time I'd ever had asthma," he revealed."

Nevertheless, Froome stuck to his original plan and headed into the Vuelta. Most days he had to finish at the back of the pack, but he rode to the end.

Arriving in Madrid 114th out of 134, his lack of fitness seemed to be due to COVID-19 rather than ongoing physical problems.

"This season was the first season that I didn't have issues related to that crash in 2019," Froome said.

"There were no niggles or anything holding us back. So early in the season, until I developed COVID, I saw good progress. But next season I want to do as well as I did before COVID."

This brilliance in the Alpe d'Huez will serve to reignite the debate over whether Froome can regain his former glory and serve as a counterattack three years after his ambition of a record-setting fifth Tour title seemed fanciful.

At 37, he still has a long way to go to reach his former level, and there is no guarantee that his former level will suffice in this new generation.

"The dream is always there," said Froome, who set his sights on joining the five-time Yellow Jersey Club, which includes Eddy Merckx, Jacques Anquetil, Bernard Inaud, and Miguel Indurain.

"But first there is work to be done. Before we can focus on a goal like the GC of the Tour de France, we have to pursue smaller goals, like at least one week of stage racing.

"It's more important to have a period of time where you can focus on training and racing without illness or injury. If I can do that, I very much hope I can get back out there. "

Many riders would have wanted to put a period on their careers after such a horrific crash. After two years of trial and error since his return, at the age of 36, he might have said enough is enough. But Froome remained a firm believer, sometimes almost blindly.

"It's my feeling about cycling. I genuinely love the sport, I love the dedication, the training, the process of trying to get the best out of myself."

"Since the accident, it's as if I've gone back to being a neo-pro. Certainly the last three years have not been easy and I have had to overcome many challenges. But I haven't lost my motivation and will. I intend to train as hard as I have in the past. Hopefully the experience of the last 12-13 years will help me get back out there."