Is Froome's racing career coming to a close? The four-time Tour champion is "excited to get stuck in" with a new job
Cycling
Chris Froome celebrated his 40th birthday last year, but was the 2025 season also the final chapter of his career as an active cyclist? Froome's contract at Israel - Premier Tech run out at the end of December, and the re-branded NSN Cycling Team showed no interest in keeping the four-time Tour de France champion on-board for another spell.
However the events of last autumn when Froome crashed hard in training, causing several fractures combined with a discovery of a need for heart surgery, suggest that the return is not very likely.
"I’ve got some plans in the pipeline, and I’ll share that with everyone in the coming months," Froome told TNT Sports last December, following his surgery.
Now, three months down the line, we still know little about whether Froome will ever return to road racing. But we also learn that the 40-year-old Brit joined Vekta as chief innovation officer. Vekta is an AI platform that analyses training data and provides insights such as power zone calculation and stress monitoring. The company already has partnerships with several top WorldTour teams.
Press statements
"I’ve spent my career inside some of the most advanced performance environments in sport, and I’ve seen both the strengths and limitations of existing tools," Froome said in a press release which Cycling Weekly was granted exclusive access to.
"What drew me to Vekta is the team’s ambition to build something that genuinely reflects how athletes train, race and adapt over time. For me, this is about rolling up my sleeves and helping build what comes next in performance, and I’m very excited to get stuck in."
Vekta CEO Paul-Antoine Girard described Froome’s appointment as a "defining moment" for the company, which launched last spring: "Chris has spent his entire career at the very sharp end of elite performance," Girard said. "His leadership will help shape the next generation of performance tools across endurance sport."
Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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- many people advise him to grow slowly and rather do giro and/or vuelta instead of tdf. but i can totally understand that he is not satisfied with taking over once pogi declines, but instead beat him in his prime. so if he goes for tdf again, i‘m all for it. let‘s hope that pogi recovers soon!Ketterechts07-11-2026
- So gracious to offer something no-one would be prepared to pay for. The Giro is not the Tour and doesn’t command the same interest or attract the same “elite” (those willing to pay to be a part of something they consider has ego boosting potential). Roadside viewing will always largely remain free for everyone outside circuits. Introduction of a symbolic entrance to mountain climbs is worthy of exploration. Asking 1-2€ isn’t going to repulse real fans (most will spend 50-100€ on their outing that day all things included) but will prevent a portion of the total knobhead thrillseekers who will join in any large gathering as long as it’s free, just because they’re attracted to crowds, without which it it difficult for them to work up their anti-social behaviour.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- How is radio going to help when someone went over a cliff or bridge or off the roadside into a forest unnoticed and is laying there unconscious?Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- Yep, next we’ll be accusing F1 drivers of avoiding Le Mans.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- But on what is that opinion based? Are you holding him to a different standard than others? Are you saying he should do learn to like something he doesn’t Are you saying he hasn’t achieved enough Are you saying he pretends to be better than his results? It’s actually a really strange opinion to oust if you consider it objectively or rationally. Try applying it to others or yourself by asking if not EVERYONE should then be doing more? Nobody in athletics or swimming gets criticism for not expanding their repertoire when a rival or someone else does. In fact, most who move to another event get accused of running from their rival. Opinions are boring, the reasons behind them are what count.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- for a medical chief to throw things like is just bad. There are already radios which were banned for spectacle. allow radios. Gps trackers are not a complete solutionabstractengineer07-11-2026
- Yeah man...PogiSloFans07-11-2026
- any rider less than 25 whether they are really ready for the position of leadership of GT is probably not the case. I think Pogi himself suffered when he was defeated by Jonas in the TDF twice. But that would be the team's job to ensure support so that they can bounce back. It requires a team and time to get back up and win after getting knocked down.abstractengineer07-11-2026
- I'm very glad he got the big late Quickstep Vuelta win and I hope he has a few left for Euskaltel-Euskadi.flyer07-11-2026
- My memories of Ivan Basso aren't good but I liked his sister Elisa ok.flyer07-11-2026
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