Team Sky release detailed data behind Chris Froome's spectacular Giro d'Italia triumph ahead of Tour de France

Froome won the Giro in extraordinary circumstances, overturning a deficit of more than three minutes on the third from last stage with a spectacular attack on the Colle delle Finestre

Team Sky have published a detailed breakdown of the science behind Chris Froome’s Giro d’Italia victory, detailing his nutritional intake, heart rate and power outputs across the grand tour.

Froome won the Giro in extraordinary circumstances, overturning a deficit of more than three minutes on the third from last stage with a spectacular attack on the Colle delle Finestre.

Data company Velon revealed power data of Froome’s attack on the Finestre a week later, but on Wednesday Team Sky took the unprecedented step of releasing far more detailed numbers about both their meticulous planning and the energy expended.

The move comes days after Froome was cleared of any wrongdoing by world cycling after testing over the permitted limit for the asthma drug Salbutamol during his 2018 Vuelta a Espana triumph, as Team Sky aim to allay lingering suspicion around the rider’s performance ahead of the Tour de France, which begins on Saturday.

The release, published by the BBC, included a detailed comparison of Froome’s fuel intake on the hilly stage 11 and the defining mountainous stage 19, as well as Whatsapp messages between Team Sky staff involved in supplying food and drink along the route.

Chris Froome made a memorable attack on the Colle delle Finestre (AFP/Getty Images)

According to the data, Team Sky split the critical stage 19 into three broad phases and seven smaller sections. They carefully positioned food drops with specified carbohydrates in order to fuel Froome’s attacks, including the Finestre on which he averaged a power output of 603 watts and a maximum heart-rate of 152.

Froome’s supporters will point to the transparency of Team Sky’s approach as proof of a meticulous plan which came together, and of a strategy which maximised the athletic ability of their lead rider. But his detractors will say that the information is of little use without a full comparison with the opponents he blew away.