Four-time Tour de France winner Christopher Froome of Great Britain will sign a contract on August 1 with Team Israel Start-Up Nation.
“This is an historic moment for ISN, Israel, Israeli sports, our many fans all around the world and, of course, for me personally – a moment of enormous pride,” said the team’s co-owner, Sylvan Adams.
“Chris is the best rider of his generation and will lead our Tour de France and Grand Tour squad. We hope to make history together as Chris pursues further Tour de France and Grand Tour victories, achievements that would make a serious case for Chris to be considered the greatest cyclist of all time.”
Froome, 35, won the Tour de France in 2013, 2015, 2016 and 2017. He won the Critérium du Dauphiné three times, the Vuelta d’España twice, and the Giro d’Italia in 2018, the year the Giro began for the first time in Israel.
He comes to the Israeli squad from Team Ineos, a UCI WorldTeam — the highest category in professional road cycling. In June 2019, Froome was seriously injured during training. He was back in shape for the UAE Tour in February – in which the Israeli team also took part.
The 30-member Team Israel Start-Up Nation received UCI WorldTour status last December and will represent Israel for the first time at the Tour de France, tentatively scheduled to begin August 29.
“I’m really excited to be joining the ISN family,” said Froome. “I look forward to challenging and being challenged by their talent and continuing to strive for the success that I’ve enjoyed up to now. ISN’s impact on the sport is rapidly expanding, and I’m energized to be along for the ride.”
ISN Team Manager Kjell Carlstrom added, “We have been looking to strengthen the team for 2021 in several ways, not least of which is to become Grand Tour contenders. With his impressive achievements, Chris Froome is the perfect leader to mark our arrival as a serious contender for these races, particularly the Tour de France. Chris’ career has been extraordinary, and we believe that he has both the mindset and physical talents to win more Grand Tours with us, while also acting as a mentor to our young talents.”
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