Four-time Tour de France winner Chris Froome has not been selected to race next month. Credit: Getty Images/Brenton Edwards
Chris Froome was left out of the Israel-Premier Tech team at the Tour de France next month due to «equipment problems» that he said prevented him from showing his racing form who were «assigned» to him. team, hinting at a certain underhand frustration.
Froome, a four-time champion, had long lost hope of trying to win a record fifth yellow jersey. A life-threatening accident at the 2019 Critérium du Dauphiné led to a long recovery period. Froome eventually left Ineos Grenadiers, with whom he won all seven of his Grand Tours, to join Israel-Premier Tech in 2021.
However, 10 years after his first Tour win in 2013, Froome hoped to take breaks and compete for stage wins this year. He took an impressive third place on stage 12 of last year's Tour when Tom Pidcock scored a famous victory atop Alpe d'Huez.
Up until the last week or so, Froome believed he was still on his way to racing this year. But on Friday morning, Israel-Premier Tech announced its eight-member roster without mentioning the British rider. Instead, they will hunt stages with Simon Clarke, Dylan Tunes and Michael Woods.
We are teaming up at @LeTour with a diverse team that strives for stage wins. !
🎙️ “I believe that each of the eight riders we selected has what it takes to win this race.” — Sports Manager, Rick Verbrugge.
Read all about our TDF line right here: https://t.co/8kDSwuBHVO
__… pic.twitter.com/BL3bM6UrwU
— Israel — Premier Tech (@IsraelPremTech) June 23, 2023
Not being selected is a big blow for Froome, given his age and dwindling opportunities to compete in the world's biggest cycling race. It will also hurt his pride, no doubt. The 38-year-old has signed a lucrative five-year contract — estimated to earn between 5 and 6 million euros a year — with the intention of leading Israel-Premier Tech to big tour victories.
Telegraph Sport understands that Froom has suffered a series of equipment problems in recent weeks that have resulted in minor injuries, including iliotibial ligament (ITB) syndrome after changing his saddle position. This came after changing coaches earlier this season in an attempt to find a training program more suited to his physiology.
Frum was also unlucky. Earlier this month at CIC-Mont Ventoux, he had to change bikes twice due to mechanical issues.
He will be 39 by the start of the next tour, but Froome, whose contract runs until the end of the 2025 season, said he is not considering retirement.
In an interview In a public statement, Froome stated that he «respects» the decision of the team, but promised to return next year.
“Of course I am disappointed with this decision. The Tour de France holds an incredibly special place in my heart,» he said in a statement to GCN. «Physically I was ready, but unfortunately I was not able to show my full potential in the races assigned to me due to equipment problems.
«I respect the decision of the team, and I will need some time before refocusing on target later. in the season and will return to the Tour de France in 2024.»
This year's Tour starts in Bilbao, Spain, a week later on Saturday.
Telegraph Sports Analysis The clock is ticking on Froome's stellar career
John McLeary
Old Father Time will eventually catch up with us all. For some, it's gradual; for others a little more cruel. When Froome was involved in a life-threatening accident on the Dauphine in 2019, many wrote him off.
The long road to recovery was slow and painful, with only one outstanding result, third place behind Pidcock and Louis Meinges. on the Alpe d'Huez stage of last year's Tour, giving anyone outside Froome's camp reason to believe he will return to the top of the sport he once towered over.
“Tour is always the end goal,” Froome recently told French website DirectVélo. “I am getting better little by little. The last six or seven weeks in training have been going well, working well and without problems. Things seem to be going in the right direction.
“The tour remains the ultimate goal,” he added. “This is the race that I have experienced the most pleasant feelings, where all the best drivers in the world compete in their best form. Obviously, I'm not going to enter the Tour to fight for the overall result, but if I can try to win the stage, it will be great.
Recent results, however, suggest that he lacks form to challenge the world's biggest cycling race: 117th on the Tour Down Under, 24th on the Tour du Rwanda, 97th on the Tour de Romandie and 40th on La Route d'Occitanie is not the results to instill fear in him. rivals in the peloton. However, not only his performance in the overall standings caused alarm.
At the Tour of Romandie in April, Froome finished the 18.75 km time trial, 3 minutes 19 seconds ahead of 20-year-old stage winner Juan Ayuso. Whatever «equipment issues» Froome had, no modern bike would have caused him to lose so much time over such a short distance. After all, there was no hiding from time, and after announcing an eight-man Israel-Premier Tech team for the tour, it might be time for Camp Froome to tell him a few house truths.
Given that Froome boasts a palmares that boasts four Tours of France, two Vueltas a España and the unforgettable 2018 Giro d'Italia, it's time for him to take stock.
Frum's legacy remains intact as the greatest driver of a generation. However, he will not return to those heights and now has to decide: is he going to continue in smaller races or is he ready to become a home luxury? Whatever happens next, one thing is clear: Froome's career clock is ticking.
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