There are only a few hours left until Tour de France number 110 and when the starting flag drops in Bilbao there won't be Chris Froome La Israel Premier Tech in fact he cut him out of the race that the Briton won four times.
The news hasn't been fresh these days; we've been waiting to see how the situation unfolds, but everything has remained shrouded in silence. No strong statements have been made by either Froome or the team.
Froome's disappointment
«I'm obviously disappointed – Froome had told Gcn on the spur of the moment – also because The Tour de France holds an incredibly special place in my heart. I'm sorry because I was physically ready, but unfortunately I was unable to demonstrate my condition. in the races assigned to me, due to mechanical problems."
And again: «I respect the team's decision and will take some time before focusing again on the next objectives of the season. I want to return to the Tour de France in 2024».
Let's start with these words. Froome, apart from a few flashes of brilliance last year on the roads of the Tour de France, has not been seen much since.
This season, he's logged 29 days of racing, his best result being a 12th-place finish in a small Australian race. These 29 days of racing were split into two blocks: one until February, culminating in the Tour du Rwanda, and one from May onward. The only WorldTour race he's competed in was the Tour de France.
It's also true that Israel-Premier Tech is no longer in the top division and it is normal that it will play a few less top-level games, but overall it's certainly not a positive sign for Chris.
The accounts are being done
Froome in those two months he trained with his usual determination and professionalism. In the spring he had spent a long time on the heights of the Sierra Nevada and then, before the Tour, he had moved to Andorra, still at high altitude.
This time, all this work wasn't enough for the king of the 2018 Giro. Not even his prestige. It's worth considering that the atmosphere at Israel-Premier Tech must be a bit tense. After last year's WT exit, they're no longer looking anyone in the eye. A nice clean slate.
The other prominent athlete also ended up outside the Tour list: Jakob Fuglsang. Points are needed to climb the ladder, so those who offer the most certainty are competing. The three-year period has just begun, and Sylvain Adam's team is currently 15th in the rankings. UCI.
As for the Dane, who on the other hand seems to have taken it less well, objectively it was really difficult for him to leave for the Tour. He had huge problems with his saddle at the beginning of the season, so much so that we had to leave in a certain hurry UAE Tour. Fuglsang did not train for two whole months. The Tour de Suisse It was his last chance, but he stopped before the final time trial.
Controversies and considerations
It is inevitable that all this will spark controversy. Froome spoke of mechanical problems that prevented him from performing at his best in the Mont Ventoux race and the Route d'Occitaine. (For the record, it should be said that his teammates won or reached the podium in those same races and with those same bikes).
In particular, it seems Chris was referring to the brakes. And it wasn't the first time the British complained about this technical aspect.
But something must have happened just a few days, if not hours, after the team's announcement for France. Until then—and that's history, 8 or 9 days ago—Froome was convinced he could do it: "I'm improving little by little," he had told CIC Ventoux earlier. the last six, seven weeks have gone well in training. I've been working without any problems. Things seem to be going in the right direction.
«Obviously I will not go to the Tour to fight for the general classification, but to try to win a stage: it would be fantastic."
Tour 2024: a utopia?
Another controversy concerns Froome's contract. Officially, it runs until 2023, but some say it should have ended last December 31st with the team's relegation to professional status, while others say it will last until 2025.
«I prefer not to talk about any element of Froome's contract – said owner Adam – we have an agreement with Chris that his last team will be this one.” Wanting to nitpick his words, Adam doesn't mention dates and talks about an agreement, not a contract. But that changes little.
We hope that Froome, but also Fuglsang, can return to performing at their best. Only the races will tell us whether the level is right for competing at the top. But the years pass and the level rises: this challenge will not be easy.
