Chris Froome awarded OBE in New Year Honours

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Sky Sports News HQ takes a look at the sports men and women who have been honoured by the Queen this year

Chris Froome has been awarded an OBE in the New Year Honours for his services to cycling.

The Team Sky rider this year became the first Briton to win the Tour de France twice.

He won the Tour for the first time in 2013 and has also won the Criterium du Dauphine twice and the Tour de Romandie twice in the past three years.

Chris Froome has been awarded an OBE in the New Year Honours

Froome told Sky Sports News HQ: "This really does bring such an amazing year to a close for me in a really nice way, both professionally and personally.

"It's extremely humbling. It's not a trophy or a race that you can win in a sporting capacity. It's not something that I go out and look for, but at the same time, it's really nice when it comes your way."

Asked if he was looking forward to a trip to Buckingham Palace to receive the honour, he added: "Very much so. I don't quite know when that is going to be - some time early next year, I think - but I'm definitely looking forward to that. It's going to be a real honour."

Froome became the first Briton to win the Tour de France twice in 2015

Froome was speaking from his base in the south of France, where he is currently combining training for his first race of 2016, the Herald Sun Tour in Australia from February 3-7, with fathering his newly born first child, Kellan.

He added: "I am training pretty hard again now to get ready for next season. I start racing down in Australia, so already quite long hours on the bike just trying to get that base fitness and just trying to get that good feeling back on the bike."

Bob Howden, the president of British Cycling, has also been awarded an OBE for services to cycling.

Froome is training for his first race of the season, in February

Howden took over the presidency in November 2013 after previous incumbent Brian Cookson was elected president of the International Cycling Union.

Howden had previously been a British Cycling board member for 13 years and has been involved in cycling for more than 35 years.

He said: "Naturally I feel very proud to have been honoured by Her Majesty but, like the thousands of volunteers up and down the country who help put on bike races, organise club runs, coach young people and help out in a thousand different ways, I've really been motivated by love of the sport."