Four-time Tour de France champion Chris Froome has been back to the race this month, returning to the race for the first time in four years to work as an ambassador for Tour partner Skoda.
The Briton, who raced to victory in Paris for Team Sky in 2013, 2015, 2016, and 2017, will never be returning to the Grand Tour as a competitor, however.
Froome, who turned 41 in May, had left his future open-ended after a life-threatening training crash suffered last September. After months with no word on whether he'd race again, he broke his silence on the subject to confirm his retirement in a low-key announcement on the eve of this year's Grand Départ.
Taking time out from his Skoda role, Froome told L'Equipe that "it didn't even cross my mind to continue" after his crash last year. He said he made up his mind well before his serious crash in Toulon; in fact, the decision came when he signed for Israel-Premier Tech back in 2021.
"When I signed my last contract, I knew it would be my last. I was hoping to be able to race one last race and say goodbye that way, as is usually done," Froome said.
"But the accident in August sidelined me. I was in and out of the hospital until mid-January. And even when I came home, after five months of operations and hospital stays, it took me until April or May to really get back on my feet and stop taking medication.
"Talking to the media, making a big announcement, or throwing a big party was really out of the question. But it wasn't that I wanted to maintain the suspense or anything. I was focused on my recovery, spending time with my family."
He confirmed that his retirement announcement had been an impromptu response to a journalist's question during the event. He hadn't made any grand plan ahead of time to tell the world.
"I had agreed to come to the Tour with Skoda, and I didn't even make an announcement. Someone asked me about my retirement; I thought it was clear, but I realised I hadn't really talked about it."
Froome recounted the multitude of injuries suffered during the fall, a laundry list which included multiple broken ribs, a pneumothorax, a fractured vertebra, and a perforation of the pericardium (the protective sac around the heart), reiterating that things could've gone either way for him in the aftermath.
"When something like that happens, when they explain the seriousness of it, that it could have gone either way, it's a truly humbling moment," Froome said.
"It put my life into perspective; what was happening in the cycling world wasn't even a concern anymore. It was a huge shock for my family. It was a difficult time, but I'm incredibly happy now.
"I feel like I've been given a new lease on life. And it's also a sign that I need to slow down now and enjoy it. I've spent the last two decades making sacrifices, suffering.
"It was my dream, but at the same time, I'm now at a point in my life where I can live, be more present with my family. When I'm home, I'm not just training and recovering; I can take the kids hiking or camping. My priority now is to be more present as a husband and father."
Froome closed the chapter on his racing career with the conclusion of his Israel contract at the end of the 2025 season. Not that we knew it then, but last winter drew a close on a 20-year professional career encompassing 46 victories, including those four Tours.
"I had made a five-year commitment, and I really wanted to see it through. I know a lot of people didn't understand," Froome said.
"One of my big goals since I started was to still be racing at 40. I did it, and even if I wasn't winning, it brought me joy. The support from the French was also fantastic; it was quite different from the years when I was winning. It's definitely a love-hate relationship. But it warmed my heart."
He might've taken one last chance to win a record-equalling fifth Tour title in 2018 had he skipped what turned out to be his final professional victory, the Giro d'Italia, he said. That Critérium du Dauphiné crash, which in hindsight signalled the beginning of his decline, is his major career regret.
"I regret crashing in 2019 because I was flying," he said. "Honestly, I was in the best shape I'd been in for years. I was really looking forward to that Dauphiné time trial to show I was ready for the Tour. I was feeling so good, so that's something that's deeply ingrained in me.
"I could have done some things differently too. For example, if I hadn't gone to the Giro in 2018, I would have been fresher for the Tour, but in that case, I would never have won the Giro. That's just how it is, I can't change it, so I'm not going to try to torture myself over it. The same goes for 2012. I'm at peace with everything."
While Froome was the dominant Tour GC force of the 2010s, today a new superpower casts a shadow across France each July. Another four-time winner and the 2026 champion-elect, Tadej Pogačar, is a racing force unseen in modern cycling and could perhaps end his career as the greatest racer of all time.
"It's very different. I think he kills them," Froome said, drawing a comparison with the Slovenian.
"I used to work hard quite early in the Tour to gain an early advantage, but mainly for the mental battle. But Tadej takes that to a whole new level.
"On the Tourmalet, he made it clear to the others that they would be riding for second place, that victory was out of the question. I know how demoralising that can be for your rivals.
"But on the first mountain stage, I was gaining a minute; in Tadej's case, it's three minutes. It's incredibly impressive. I can say I'm glad he wasn't around when I was at my best."
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