The most prestigious bike race in the world brings with it a series of well-documented physical challenges, but Chris Froome’s win in this year’s Tour de France was arguably as memorable for the dignity and mental strength he displayed as the power and skill which took him away from his rivals.

After his 2014 defence of his crown was prematurely ended by injury, Froome dominated this year’s race to finish ahead of Colombia’s Nairo Quintana and win his second Tour title – the third time in four years that a Briton had claimed the yellow jersey.

Having briefly led the general classification race early on, Froome regained the yellow jersey following Tony Martin’s race-ending crash, and never surrendered it.

His superiority over the rest of the field was outlined perfectly by his stage 10 win at the summit of La Pierre-Saint-Martin, when his superb solo victory extended his overall lead to almost three minutes.

His march to a second yellow jersey was relentless, and was made all the more impressive by his reaction to the incidents of targeted abuse towards Froome and his Team Sky team-mates, with the 30 year-old winning praise for his maturity and class as he triumphantly crossed the line arm-in-arm with his team-mates in Paris.

Froome’s achievements – he is the first Briton to win the Tour twice – have underlined his talent and have helped Britain build on its reputation as trailblazers in what is a new era for male road racing.

To vote for Chris Froome to win Sports Personality of the Year, register at www.bbc.co.uk/sport/sports-personality. Voting will open during the live programme on Sunday 20 December.