Ever since his accident at the 2019 Critérium du Dauphiné, Chris Froome has never again managed to be in the fight for wins in the peloton. As age deepens and a move to Israel - Premier Tech saw a change of structure, the Briton never again returned to a high level... until today he showed signs that may change.
He had said in April that "this is the first time since the big crash that everything is at 100 percent" and is building towards the Tour de France. It is not unusual for the 37-year old to take a slow approach to the Tour, as he's done so several times over his Team Sky years. Yesterday at the Mercan'Tour Classic Alpes-Maritimes he finished 11th in what was perhaps his best performance in three years. Although the competition wasn't big, he was in the midst of World Tour teams in a very reduced climber group.
“I've made progress in the last few months and I've just come back from training camp. The legs feel good. Next up is the Critérium du Dauphiné," he said after the race. With the form he's shown, a presence at the Tour de France seems certain, and he will now be looking to further work on it during next week's stage-race which he has many times used as a build-up. "I watch it all every week. I'm trying to be my old self again. I'm not there yet, but I'm one step closer."
With Israel - Premier Tech finishing first and second with Jakob Fuglsang and Michael Woods respectively, it is a great sign for the team after a very slow and unlucky start to the season where injuries and illnesses have been constant. “It was a great day for the team. We couldn't have wished for more," he said.
“We wanted to make the race hard, especially on the last three climbs. It's great that the team can fight back like this, because we had a difficult start to the season due to illness. The boys are now back to normal and can put results on the scoreboard," Froome concluded. The Critérium du Dauphiné starts this Sunday.
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