Robbie McEwen: Froome "should be at the Tour. That’s why Israel-Premier Tech signed him"

Robbie McEwen thinks Chris Froome is “definitely not” winning the Tour de France again. Since his horrific incident during a recon ride at the Criterium de Dauphine in 2019, which left him with a shattered neck, femur, hip, elbow, and ribs, the Brit has not been the same rider.

He returned to racing eight months later – an incredible achievement in in of itself – but has yet to finish in the top ten in any major event since. He did, however, have his finest performance of his return on Tuesday, finishing 11th after staying with the lead group into the last climb of the Mercan'Tour Classic Alpes-Maritimes.

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After the one-day race in France, sparking expectations that he may compete in the Tour de France with Israel-Premier Tech in July, but McEwen thinks he should forget about adding to his four championships and instead concentrate on assisting the team.

“He should be at the Tour. That’s why Israel-Premier Tech signed him: to have a figurehead of the team, someone to fly the flag and get a lot of publicity, " said McEwen. “But in terms of performances, just purely physical on the bike, I don’t think he’s up to… definitely not winning the Tour anymore, I doubt that he will be in contention to win a stage.”

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“But he can make a difference to his own team. It all goes back to that horrible crash he had at the Dauphine. He’s now 37, so he’s not getting any younger, it just gets harder and harder and he’s had a lot of obstacles in his way. So it’s going to be really tough just to get through it, let alone perform at a very high level at the Tour. ”

Froome won the Tour four times between 2013 and 2017, but the race now has new stamina kings in the shape of Slovenian pair Tadej Pogacar and Primoz Roglic. He has continually dismissed critics who believe his career is gone, claiming that he uses these doubts as motivation.