Chris Froome preparing start of the season in Gran Canaria

Chris Froome has had his season start delayed due to to inflammation to his knee that kept him off the bike in a crucial period of the pre-season. The Israel Premier-Tech rider had damage to a tendon and has in the meantime resumed training, and is in Gran Canaria preparing his second season with the Israeli team.

Froome has shared on social media a picture of him and teammate Mason Hollyman training in Gran Canaria. He has in this pre-season been training near Nice, with a new base near Fréjus, and has begun a training camp this 20th of February in one of Tenerife's neighbour islands in the Canaries, a destination chosen by several world-class riders in recent years.

According to Hollyman's Strava record, the duo has already had 20 hours on the bike in the space of five days and it is expected that they will be in Gran Canaria for at least another week and a half. Mason Hollyman is a rider for the Israel Cycling Academy but has been a regular presence in the main team's lineups, and noticeably captured his first career stage win at the Volta a Portugal last season.

Chris Froome's schedule was set to include Volta a Catalunya, where if everything stays on track he will be debuting his colours this year. Froome is looking towards another participation at the Tour de France and includes the Tour de Romandie and the Critérium du Dauphiné beforehand.