Chris Froome unexpectedly close to end of career after all: "I never felt as strong as I did at that moment"

This Saturday marked the tenth edition of the Saitama Criterium in Japan. The event, organized by the Tour de France organization, was first held in 2013, when Tour winner Chris Froome took the victory. Now, in 2024, the Brit is participating again (or still), though his status has significantly declined.

"When I won the Saitama Criterium in 2014, I thought to myself that this wasn't the accomplishment of a mission, but rather the start of a story," Froome recalls. "Later, I was blown away by the number of fans waiting for us and by how well versed in the lore of the Tour they were," says the four-time Tour de France winner in an ASO press release.

The 39-year-old chased his fifth Tour title for years but has now accepted that it’s unlikely to happen. However, he’s still keen to be at the start in Lille in 2025 — for the eleventh time, at age 40. "I didn't make the cut for the last two, but it's not far-fetched to think I can still earn a spot on the team.

If I give it my all and play my part, hunting for a stage win, maybe, or working for my teammate Derek Gee, for example," says the Israel-Premier Tech rider. "Winning my fifth? That's life. At the end of the day, I think the 2019 Tour was the one that really got away. I'd never been as strong in training as before my crash in the Critérium du Dauphiné."

Read more below the photo!

Ventoux holds a special place in Froome's heart

The fact that the 2025 Tour will go to the top of Mont Ventoux adds a romantic touch for Froome. "The Ventoux holds a very special place in my heart. When I won there in 2013, that was when I really knew I was going to take it all the way to Paris. In 2016, I had a similar performance in me, but that crash happened and mayhem ensued," he says, recalling the famous moment when he continued running. "It made no sense at all to start running, but it was an automatic reaction that just kicked in. And, in the end, it went down in history"

Froome also deserved a place in the history books, having won the Tour four times. Should he not be there in 2025, he hopes to end his career in another way. "I mean, I haven't definitively decided that it will be my last season next year, but it's looking more than likely," he told Cyclingnews. "In a perfect world, I'd love to go back to the Tour, but failing that a Grand Tour, at least for one final push on the road. But to go back to a Grand Tour would be a really special way to finish it off, so whether that's the Tour or the Vuelta or the Giro…"

Indeed, his last grand tours were in 2022, when he did the Tour and the Vuelta. "I'm realistic about where I'm at, I think I'm quite lucky. I don't really harp on what's happened, good or bad, and I think that's something that's always helped me in my career. if you spend too much time really just thinking about everything it can trip you up mentally, whereas I'm always very much focused on what's coming and what's in the future. As a younger rider entering the sport, I'd always put getting to the age of 40 and still be racing as my goal. I guess towards the end of next year, I need to be able to make that decision."

Read also

Armstrong shakes his head after reading Anti-Pogacar comments on Tour de France route: "We were told that every year too"

"Again news from INEOS Grenadiers: mentor to Bernal and other Spanish-speaking riders leaves"