2023-06-23 12:33:00
The Israel-Premier Tech team has unveiled the eight names who will participate in the Tour de France 2023. Among them, we find in particular the Belgian Dylan Teuns, double stage winner on the Grande Boucle. Unlike Christopher Froome. While he thought he was there, the four-time winner of the event was left out by the Israeli team.
“Our selection for the Tour was a difficult decision,” explained Israel-Premier Tech general manager Kjell Carlström before continuing, “we believe we have selected the eight riders best suited to achieve our goals.”
It must be said that with a 14th place, a 55th place and a 40th place, respectively on the modest Mercan’Tour Classic, Mont Ventoux Challenge and Route d’Occitanie, the Briton has not reassured in recent weeks. Since his fall on the Critérium du Dauphiné in 2019, Froome has never regained his former form, limiting himself to a single top 3 (but prestigious on the Alpe d’Huez stage of the Tour 2022) , over the last four years.
See you in 2024?
However, the main interested party has difficulty swallowing this choice: “Physically, I was ready”, he confided to our colleagues from GCN before looking for a reason for his innocuous results in recent months. “Unfortunately, I was unable to show my full abilities in the races I was assigned due to equipment issues.”
And the White Kenyan did not seem ready to hear this decision: “I have the feeling of finding legs little by little. The last six, seven weeks have been good in training, I worked well, without problems. Everything seems to be going in the right direction”, he confided to the specialized site Direct Vélo during the recent Route d’Occitanie last week.
Froome therefore already gives an appointment to his supporters on the Tour de France 2024 where he intends to be present. It remains to be seen in which team since the Briton is coming to the end of his contract with Israel-Premier Tech. Few of them will want to put the price for one of the best paid riders in the peloton but whose results have been insignificant for four years.
But despite his 38 years and his modest results since his fall, Froome is still ambitious for the years to come: “I don’t want to put limits on myself. I keep working hard and improving. In terms of power data, I have been progressing month following month, week following week since this famous big fall, it’s encouraging”, he explained to Direct Vélo last week, believing that he still has the qualities necessary to continue. his career.
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