"The dream is always there" - Froome to keep pursuing 5th Tour de France title

Chris Froome has won, in the 2010's, the Tour de France on four different occasions. Ever since his dramatic injuries suffered at the Critérium du Dauphiné he hasn't ever been at the same level, but this year's Tour saw the best signs from him in years.

"Alpe d'Huez was a good stepping stone. It was nice to be in the race and at least fighting for the stage win," Froome told Cyclingnews. "My main goal for the season was to get to the Vuelta in my best shape and I was using the Tour as a stepping stone. Building up to the Tour and through the Tour, I started to feel more like myself again, as if I was on the right trajectory." His form was at an all-time high with Israel - Premier Tech, riding into third on the stage to Alpe d'Huez, and sitting in 26th position in the final week where he abandoned the race with Covid-19. 

"Being asthmatic, it affected me quite badly," Froome said of his infection, which ended up costing the form he had worked up to throughout the year. "It was the first time I'd had it. The rest of the season for me was pretty much a write-off. This season was the first season where I haven't had any issues relating to that crash of 2019."

He completed the Vuelta a Espana, however without any meaningful result. Froome will be hoping to ride the Tour de France again in 2023, that will be of course, if Israel - Premier Tech receive an invitation - a task that will be complicated despite the team's main figures and quality.

"I haven't had any niggles or things holding me back. That's why I was able to see good progress through the first part of the season, until I got COVID. But I would like to pick up next season where I left off before COVID," he continued. "The dream is always there, But I know there are other steps I need to take before that's even a real concern for me. Before focusing on a goal like riding GC at the Tour de France, I have to at least chase some smaller goals, like week-long stage races."

The Briton has no plans yet on where he will start his season, but it is likely that he will not race the Giro d'Italia, in order to focus on a more traditional preparation to the Grand Boucle. It is also undetermined which races the Israeli team will be allowed to race in. "More than that, though, it's about having an uninterrupted period of training and racing where I don't have any illness or injury. If I can manage that, I very much hope I can get back there," he said.

Despite ending his contract until 2023, Froome has no intentions to hang up the wheels yet. He talked about what motivates him: "It's just how I feel about cycling. I genuinely love the sport, I love the process of dedication, of training, of trying to get the best out of myself. Since my crash, it's almost as if I went back to being a neo-pro. It certainly hasn't been easy the last three years, and I've had to overcome a lot of challenges.

"But I'm not missing any motivation, or any will to do it. I'm willing to train just as hard as ever before. Hopefully having the experience of the last 12-13 years will help me get back there," he concluded.