"I can't compete for victories anymore but I'm still very motivated to race" - Chris Froome honest about his future as final season looms

As Chris Froome nears the final season of his Israel - Premier Tech contract and likely his career, the seven-time Grand Tour winner isn't quite at the same level he once was. Nevertheless, Froome insists he hasn't lost any of his love for the sport.

“I feel good, I’m looking forward to the rest of the week,” the 39-year-old tells WielerFlits from the 2024 Tour of Guangxi in China. "Discovering new cultures like this has become a big part of professional cycling, I think. You have the opportunity to travel around the world and discover places you would never normally go. I have certainly been to places this season that I never expected, or at least places where I have never raced before. Think of Rwanda, Romania and now Guangxi."

As mentioned though, the four-time Tour de France winner is no longer one of the premiere riders in the peloton. As such, he's turned into more of a mentor role at Israel - Premier-Tech, helping and advising the next generation such as Derek Gee, Matthew Riccitello and at the Tour of Guangxi, Joseph Blackmore. “I don’t really know if this is my new role,” Froome says. “I’ve always done my best to help my teammates. I want to help them win races and I enjoy doing that. Fortunately, we have that talent in the team, in the form of Joseph Blackmore. If I have to look at the future of Great Britain in racing, I think Joe has a very good chance to develop into a very big rider in the future.”

"I do feel the respect of those guys in the team. That's not exactly what I'm looking for, of course. But I definitely like working with those young riders and sharing all the experiences I've had in the trajectory of my career with them," he continues. "I don't look at results anymore, no. At the moment I mainly try to do what I can in the sport. Realistically, I can't compete for victories anymore. I am still very motivated to race. And I still have a lot of fun on the bike. I love this sport, I love being on my bike. That makes it much easier to keep doing this."

With only one season left of his Israel - Premier Tech deal though, just what does the future hold for the modern day Grand Tour legend? “Good question," he laughs. "At the end of the season we will sit down with the team and only then will we see what next year should look like for me. And then we will dive into that.”