Chris Froome will race the Tour of the Alps on April 18-22, organisers have confirmed.
Set to be his fourth appearance at the Tour of the Alps, Froome's best result at the five-day stage race came in 2018, when he finished fourth in GC. The Israel-Premier Tech rider ended up a disappointing 93rd last year, something he will no doubt attempt to rectify with a stronger showing this time out.
Froome made his 2022 season debut at the Settimana Internazionale Coppi e Bartali in March, though he struggled to make any imprint on the race. After suffering a torn TFL (tensor fasica latae) tendon on the side of his leg in December, the Briton decided to delay his start to the season in order to regain full fitness. However, he could only manage a race-best finish of 63rd on the final stage.
Miguel Ángel López (Astana Qazaqstan), Mikel Landa (Bahrain-Victorious), Tao Geoghean Hart and Richie Port (Ineos Grenadiers) and Romain Bardet (Team DSM) have all been confirmed to race in the Tour of the Alps too, providing a strong start list for the UCI ProSeries race.
Maurizio Evangelista, Tour of the Alps General Manager, said: "The ten World Tour teams and a significant number of top athletes are once again a guarantee of a top-level show, along with the race format that provides thrills from the very first kilometre.
"Over the years this race has helped to reveal many new talents: we expect a lot not only from the established protagonists, but also from those we have yet to discover."
Having failed to win a race since the 2018 Giro d'Italia, Froome could be targeting an improved performance in a few weeks time at the race in the Tyrol-South, Tyrol-Trentino Euroregion. Following the Tour of the Alps, the 36-year-old is expected to line-up at the Tour de Romandie, his tenth involvement in the race and a favourite of Froome's following his two wins in 2013 and 2014.
From there, he will compete at Critérium du Dauphiné too, before he tries to realise his Grand Tour dreams with his fifth Tour de France victory.
