“Everyone is wondering about Chris. He is on the list" - Chris Froome in contention for Tour de France return confirms Israel - Premier Tech DS
Cycling
Whatever happens in the rest of his career, Chris Froome has already written his name into the annals of Tour de France history. However, is there still one final chapter to be written in the story?
Recently, respected French outlet L'Equipe reported that the four-time winner of the Maillot Jaune is set to lead the Israel - Premier Tech lineup at the 2024 edition of the Tour de France, as much due to sponsor pressure than anything. These rumours and reports were quickly shut down by Froome himself, as was similar talk of an in-team feud between the Brit and his Canadian teammate, Michael Woods.
Speaking to Velo, Israel - Premier Tech's sports director, Rik Verbrugghe also shunned the L'Equipe report, although he admitted Froome is definitely in contention for a Tour de France return after missing out on selection twelve months ago. “Everyone is wondering about Chris. He is on the list. He came out of a good altitude camp, and we will see how it goes,” Verbrugghe explains. “It’s creating the right balance, it’s not just what you’re going to show this week. It’s going to help a lot if he’s performing at a really high level, there is no doubt.”
Four-time Maillot Jaune winner Froome's last Tour de France appearance came in 2022
Whilst Froome didn't exactly set the world alight at the recent Criterium du Dauphine and in turn force himself to be selected, the Brit's teammate, Derek Gee did leave a lasting impression, finishing 3rd overall in the biggest result of his career to date. “If he can do the same as he did at the Giro (Gee was a star of the 2023 edition of the Giro d'Italia ed.) at the Tour we would be very happy,” Verbrugghe says. “We want a good team at the start of the Tour so that we can have an objective every single day at the Tour, that is important. We don’t want only to bring climbers. We want to have that balance, to be offensive. We know that GC stages are not for us, so all the other stages we should try to win them.”
“We have to create that balance to be competitive in every stage, except the GC stages,” the sports director concludes. “All the guys are in good shape. It’s a question of not getting sick or crashing in these weeks before the Tour, and we can fine-tune the selection.”
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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- He is boring
leedorney08-11-2026 - To Twoje przemyślenia te bla, bla :)
Dariusz08-11-2026 - Uwielbiam patrzeć, jak wyjeżdża na czoło peletonu i zaczyna się rzeź...Dariusz08-11-2026
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parisbound0008-11-2026 - there needs to be space in life for pointless comments!Ketterechts08-11-2026
- That is a very lazy way of putting it but so far on this website it seems like everyone is happy to look at everything lazily, even things that annoy them intensely. All they want to do is state their feeling and position but ask most to analyse a problem or come up with solutions or improvements and you’re stunned by silence. Nobody even really knows how this all happens. It’s very simple and quick to just say the UCI did it but I bet you they didn’t, I bet you not more than 2 people were involved, more likely just 1. The UCI may be ultimately responsible but it is not their decision, this is about hierarchy, power and delegation. The fact that protest is possible also means it isn’t over and that MORE people could get involved for a thorough review which could throw up anything. It is highly likely it was a sole commissar who decided and has that power in a first round. Therein might lie the problem the UCI has to consider, is it acceptable to give so much authority to one single person when it is quite possible for them to have a natural bias or be too easily susceptible to imposed bias. Who is to say an individual in this position isn’t susceptible to collaboration with outside players with interests in the results, nations, families, teams, betting companies, etc. On the one hand we have sports where these problems have been worked on way more to reduce such problems, on the other hand we have sports with far stricter and more draconian rules not even concerning safety or obstruction that nobody really questions like false starts or stepping out of lane or zones in athletics. If cycling hastowork on itself, it would be good if protagonists (all kinds) would start doing a little more than just moaning over outcomes.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- Yes, so why not make comments less pointless?Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
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