Chris Froome to leave Team Ineos and join Israel Start-Up Nation
Team Ineos must decide whether Chris Froome, Geraint Thomas or Egan Bernal leads the team in the Tour de France.
Team Ineos has confirmed that Chris Froome’s contract is not being renewed after 11 seasons, bringing an end to an association that brought unprecedented success for a British rider.
The announcement by Sir Dave Brailsford, the team principal, was followed quickly by confirmation that Froome, a winner of seven grand tours, would be joining Israel Start-Up Nation “until the end of his career”.
The Froome camp had been trying to apply pressure on Ineos to commit to a new long-term contract before the resumption of racing next month.
Ineos, who took over sponsorship of the team from Sky last year, was unwilling to extend a contract worth about £5m ($9.1m) a year for a rider who has turned 35 and has still to prove whether he can return from the terrible injuries he suffered in a crash last June, which included a fractured femur, to contend in the biggest races. Froome has not ridden a grand tour since finishing third at the Tour de France in 2018, and with Egan Bernal winning his first Tour last year to prove his stature, Ineos was unwilling to grant Froome a leadership role.
“Chris’s contract comes to an end in December and we have taken the decision not to renew it,” Brailsford said. “We are making this announcement earlier than would usually be the case to put an end to speculation and allow the team to focus on the season ahead.
“Chris has been with us from the start. He is a great champion and we have shared many memorable moments but I believe this is the right decision for the team and for Chris. Given his achievements in the sport, Chris is understandably keen to have sole team leadership in the next chapter of his career — which is not something we are able to guarantee him at this point.”
There were discussions about Froome leaving in mid-season but the Israeli team, which was granted World Tour status this year, would have been unable to give the British rider the necessary support to compete for a record-equalling fifth Tour triumph in 2020.
Froome is expected to ride this year’s rescheduled Tour, which begins in Nice on August 29, with Ineos but he will be expected to fit into team orders alongside Bernal and Geraint Thomas, the 2018 Tour winner. The dynamics of that could prove interesting.
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