“The goal for me is to try and get to the Tour in the best shape possible" - Chris Froome hoping to prove his worth at Tirreno-Adriatico

After all he's done in his career, the now 38-year-old Chris Froome has nothing to prove but the competitive spirit within the seven-time Grand Tour ensures he still has an immense desire to compete with the very best.

When Froome missed out on the Israel - Premier Tech lineup for the 2023 Tour de France, rider and team boss Sylvan Adams shared some verbal jabs in the press. Keen to put that drama behind him though, Froome is now keen to get back into contention for the 2024 Tour de France lineup and with him currently competing at Tirreno-Adriatico, there is an early chance to prove his worth.

“The goal for me is to try and get to the Tour in the best shape possible this year,” Froome told Cycling News before stage 2 in Italy. “First of all, get to the Tour after having missed out last year. I'd really like to get back there again this year.”

Riding a modest opening time-trial, coming home in 116th position, Froome won't be contending for the general classification but doesn't rule out a stage win. “Looking forward to getting some WorldTour racing in the legs. This is the first WorldTour event I'm doing this year after Rwanda and some time at altitude as well,” Froome said. “So just looking forward to getting back into it again and continuing a steady build towards the Tour. It basically comes down to team selection, and I imagine looking at the stage races building up to the Tour will be part of that. So this is this is where it starts.”