Froome hints at retirement at Vuelta in 2025: "It would be a great way to close the circle"

Chris Froome is the most successful British Tour rider in history, although it appears anything but in recent years. So, the moment when the coffee grinder grinds to a halt is getting closer, and according to Froome himself, it could be during the 2025 Vuelta a España. The four-time Tour de France winner announced this in an interview with Eurosport during the presentation of the Vuelta 2025 route.

"I think it's time," he said when asked if he wanted to end his cycling career. "Next year I'm going to be 40. It was always my goal to be racing until the age of 40, so I'm getting closer to that goal. I can be very happy with everything that I've been lucky to achieve in the sport."

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Froome

Froome wants to close the circle in Spain: "That could be very special"

Where that finish lies remains to be seen, but Froome hints at the Vuelta. "It would be great to close the circle," the 39-year-old rider believes. After all, Froome won the Vuelta in 2011; it was his first major tour win. Not that he knew it at the time. Juan José Cobo was on top after 21 stages, but that victory was later taken away from him. "Next year will potentially be my last season racing. To finish at the Vuelta could be a really nice way to close the circle, having started at the Vuelta to finish at the Vuelta as well. That could be very special also."

The Israel-Premier Tech rider now belongs to the experienced guard of the peloton. As befits the veterans, this is accompanied by reflection on the current state of cycling. "We're definitely getting a lot of really young riders, who are getting younger and younger it seems, the average age in the peloton. It's great to see where the sport is going, and just how fast the sport is evolving. Especially the last five years, we've seen the sport really move forwards. Especially in terms of the technological advances, the material, everything's just getting faster," he is honest.

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