"It simply has to be the worst cycling signing in history" - Chris Froome's time at Israel - Premier Tech given brutal assessment by Michael Rasmussen
CyclingWednesday, 16 October 2024 at 09:33
The career of Chris Froome can probably best be split into three different sections. The early Barloworld years where few would have guessed what was to come, the Grand Tour dominance of the 2010s at Team Sky and then a disappointing career swansong at Israel - Premier Tech.
Although Froome's results have diminished greatly since making the switch to Israel - Premier Tech back in 2021, the now 39-year-old remains one of the peloton's best paid riders. As such, you'd be hard pushed to say that the signing for Froome has been a success for Sylvan Adams' team, despite the added boost in profile a seven-time Grand Tour winner gives.
"He has almost become a half-time clown who tours around to all kinds of small races. It simply has to be the worst cycling signing in world history for a cycling team," analyses ex-pro Michael Rasmussen in a brutally scathing assessment of Froome's time at Israel - Premier Tech for Viaplay. "Not for Froome. Because it is a fantastic pension scheme that he has started there."
A telling fact of Froome's quickly collapsing level is the fact that the four-time Tour de France winner is yet to score a single UCI point in 2024, with his best result being a 21st placed finish on a stage in the Tour du Rwanda. “It is undignified to look at," Rasmussen concludes, not easing up on the brutality of his assessment. "The wild thing is that it is his own decision. You can say that for five million euros a year you can probably take a few defeats along the way. Sportingly, it's pretty meagre. It is an undignified end to a career like his."
Froome does still have one year left on his Israel - Premier Tech deal, and with no sign of the Brit calling an early end to his career, it seems the disappointing end of his unquestionably legendary career is still at least 12 months away.
claps 7visitors 3
Just in
Subscribe to our Daily Newsletter today!
May 12, 11:09
0
Popular news
Latest comments
- Enigmatic as ever. He only cares about the jersey on one day: the last one. He knows better than anyone what it means to assume too much too soon.RidesHills18-05-2025
- I can't believe he even made it back to the professional level. It's so good to hear his name called again in a Grand Tour. His Tour de France podium speech was one of the most gracious I can recall in many years.
Barney17-05-2025 - Sometimes I am, you’re right. Seems like a waste of time to live life on the toilet. Do you feel better now you’ve managed to unload some of your frustration on a completely anonymous poster?Mistermaumau17-05-2025
- Come on Loren, don't make me wash your mouth out with soap.awp17-05-2025
- I hope they are arrested, promptly.awp17-05-2025
- That's because you're full of shit, per usual.verve82517-05-2025
- I agree with Tom's stategy for UAE to take the offensive. As shown in his tt performance, Roglic is in excellent form. He's being patient, pacing himself, saving his energy for a few decisive stages. Look at how far down his teammates were on stage 7. He gave them the day off to save their legs too. Today they deliberately gave up the maglia rosa to Astana, who will defend it fiercely for the UCI points. Brilliant strategy, taking the pressure of the team until the crucial final week.velodan17-05-2025
- Good news. I’ve done two weeks of riding there between 1200-2200 and never once noticed being at altitude (but did see benefits upon returning) except on a hike after the two weeks feeling a little nauseous half an hour around 3400 but then nothing anymore all the way up to 4500. I once heard altitude sensations are less intense near the equator but can’t find much to support that.Mistermaumau17-05-2025
- I love to see Bernal back in front. I hope he can seriously go for the podium
DareDevil17-05-2025 - That is if the championships actually take place there this year.
MrCampy17-05-2025
the chicken sure is one to talk, considering the world wide shame and scorn he brought to his team, the sport, and the Tour in 07 - I dare say chris was a better gamble than michael, he may not have done so much good in his role but at least he did not do us harm
😆 you cycling nerds are funny. Froome is a living legend. I loved his autobiography. It's a miracle he became pro never mind winning so much at his peak.
Now he is like Axl Rose. 💩
Sylvan Adams must be a fan boy. He's like the rose tinted punters that pay extortionate prices for Guns n roses tickets only to feel shafted when they get there!!!
So so desperate for some attention! Poor chicken..
When the chicken starts telling us something is bad then it must be right. Just reverse everything he says and you'll be okay.
Has it been worth it for the invites to the grand tours though?
What is it with all of these dopers getting air time on this site? Enough with the opinion pieces from these cheating has-beens.
And anyone on here ragging on Froome needs to check themselves. For 5 million (or whatever) per year, you'd ALL do the same. Every last one of you. Adams made a terrible deal. That's all.
That’s quite an offensive thing to say, not everyone makes life choices based on money you may be surprised. There are a lot of things I’d not do for 5m$ and this example is one of them.
Quite happy to work my ass off for a simple peaceful life with peanuts and avoid the scrutiny and sour faces around me.
If you get offended by that, you've got someone seriously thin skin, mate. Also, i don't believe you. You'd jump at the chance. Everyone would.
I didn’t even keep my pre-inheritance, gave it to my sister and half-sister because I didn’t appreciate my father trying to buy himself back in such a cheap way, apologies would have been worth far more.
I lived half my working life in Luxembourg, the other half surrounded by the kids of the rich, believe me, if I’d wanted to I could have had so many easy fast ways to earn an easier living, networking, choosing sectors like banking and finance or selling other peoples’ products.
The main comment I get from my clients, you’re too cheap, you should charge more. No, others should charge less, they’re the ones asking more than they need. I live a perfectly holistic life, have everything I need and want except an ageing body that is starting to make more and more sports difficult but I still renovate every house I buy, I’m about to have another child and that with as close as perfect a lady who doesn’t care for rich career hunter guys. We live in a beautiful serene place autonomously and independently doing our own things and travelling whenever we feel rich though the environmental factor has made us reduce that and we plan to travel slow with the child before school for a year or so to go learn stuff from different cultures (including more ways of living well more gracefully than the model you and so many propose as the only one). It will almost not affect finances with the possibilities of exchanging homes or working along the way.
I’m not PERSONALLY offended, I’m offended humanly, we are not all the same, we don’t all have the same priorities, we don’t all live for or want the same material lives and it would be sad and boring to have everyone join you on your level.
The world is much better off with diversity and you shouldn’t knock it, it makes it far easier for those you chase (do you REALLY admire people who make money, and if not, why do you want to emulate them?) to enrich themselves.
For 5 Million a year I would happily spend my days training and still finish OTL in a bunch of races
"He has almost become a half-time clown who tours around to all kinds of small races.”…. Rich coming from an admitted doper who tried clowning the sport nearly his entire professional career.
Froome should admit it too. Better that they admit it than don't.
He should admit to using hidden motors whiles he's at it.
You might accuse him of many things but come on hidden motors!
If they paid *me* millions of dollars to get caught by the broom wagon, I'd do it every year for the rest of my life. The problem here isn't Froome, who has clearly continued to train hard and pursue serious goals despite no longer being competitive. The problem is Sylvan Adams, who signed an aging, seriously injured rider to a ludicrous contract. It was a bad call from the start, and has no doubt impacted the team's ability to attract new talent and keep its place on the world tour. But that has nothing to do with Froome, and Rasmussen's dismissal of him as "clownish" is well off the mark.
Totally agree with your comment.
On top that, i would prefer to be a clown than a cheater like Rasmussen
@CrisBe standing ovation for you.
The one talking here was Rasmussen not Froome
Froome is definitely a cheating clown. Is that better than being a cheater?
I think that Rasmussen criticizing Froome is one mediocre rider who depended on chemical assistance to perform and was busted with a positive doping test criticizing a other.
Froome is as much of a cheat and a doper as Rasmussen. He just made better decisions about his agent (from the McQuaid clan) and his lawyer (based on his bank account) so he was able to slither away from punishment in a way that Rasmussen did not.
There is NO DIFFERENCE between the two beyond the consequences for their doping activities...
I largely agree with you but 3cm Froome is absolutely a clown
All true.
The best contract in cycling
Probably also the one all other riders cite when negotiating theirs ;-)
How about a survey of who should get silver and bronze?
Silver - Tobias Foss 1.5 mil for 3 years "John Allert, Managing Director at INEOS Grenadiers, sees Foss as an established talent with significant potential. Allert is keen to support Foss in his ambitions for 2024, particularly the Paris Olympics.
Steve Cummings, Sport Director, praised Foss for his renowned time-trialling and climbing abilities. He believes Foss’s versatility will be integral to the team’s General Classification ambitions."
Pidcock aside, there’s also Bernal (not his fault). In any case, it seems there’s a thing connecting ALL of them, Ineos ;-)