In a conversation on stage with commentator Phil Liggett??? before the race on Saturday, the four-time Tour de France champion detailed why Team Sky has been so dominant in world cycling.

Froome said their level of preparation included having a team to prepare hotels for riders throughout the Tour.

They disinfect every room ahead of riders arriving after a stage - cleaning the door knobs so they are free of germs and changing the shower heads so there is no risk of bacterial infection.

They also carry a mattress and a pillow for each of Team Sky's nine riders from town to town.

"They change the beds so they sleep on the same mattress with the same pillow throughout the tour," Froome said, noting that less-well-resourced teams just hand over a room key to their riders.

And that level of intense professionalism carried across to how he rode with the team during a race.

Away from the hothouse of a Grand Tour, it was a relaxed Froome who waved off more than 3000 riders at the start of L'Etape after organisers shortened the race because of heavy rain - cutting it from 157 kilometres to 103 kilometres.

After seeing off the field, Froome climbed on his own bike and rode the course.

In his off-season, the British champion's preparations were so casual that he had to ask someone to duck to a cycling shop to buy him a rain jacket before the race.

While Froome has had the cycling world buzzing since announcing he would ride the Giro d'Italia next year - seeking to win all three Grand Tours consecutively after victories at the Tour de France and Spain's Vuelta last year - he treated L'Etape as a cheerful training ride.

But he was still strong enough to overtake most of the field while chatting away to the few riders who were strong enough to stay with him for at least a stint.

With the rain steady enough to suggest the race might be renamed "The Tap" and slippery conditions on descents, the second L'Etape was a good-natured event with a handful of riders wearing snorkels and goggles.

Despite the conditions, there was a strong turn-out by locals ringing cowbells and cheering on riders. One even dressed as the famous red devil who turns up to support at the Tour every year. Another cracked a whip.

There were spills but organisers reported no serious injuries and "very few minor medical interventions".

Froome, who has ridden L'Etape both years as an ambassador, said the race went "remarkably well" considering the conditions.

"I really enjoyed the ride and think everyone had a good time," he said.

While his serious training does not get underway until the new year, Froome said his main aim next year would still be to win the Tour.

"To get a fifth Tour de France really would be the priority for next season," he said. "If I can do the Giro beforehand then, of course, I'm certainly up for it. But it's a completely new challenge for me and I'm looking forward to it."