Chris Froome has revealed that he still dreams of winning that elusive fifth Tour de France, while also admitting that he doesn't have any plans to retire yet.
Speaking to La Repubblica, Froome explained how much he is enjoying his cycling, and that he doesn't have any plans to retire. While the 36-year-old's best general classification performance this year is 23rd place, coming at the Tour of Slovakia, he still maintains that same motivation to keep riding.
Plus, Froome still has at least four years left on his contract with Israel Start-Up Nation, following his switch last year from Ineos Grenadiers.
"I like the lifestyle of a professional cyclist," said Froome. "Even if I don't return to my old level, it is invaluable for me to keep cycling.
"This is a very nice job."
“After my fall, I was still in the hospital of Saint-Étienne thinking about whether I should stop. I lined up what I wanted in my life, whether I wanted to keep racing or do something else. Then I discovered that I really like racing, competing, traveling, cycling in the great outdoors."
Froome's form has never really recovered since the crash he had in 2019 during a time trial recon at the Critérium du Dauphiné, where he suffered numerous broken bones. The four-time Tour de France winner did manage to return to the peloton in 2020, but he hasn't hit the same heights he was once capable of.
Regardless, the Briton still harbours a desire to match the joint-record of five Tour de France victories, held by Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault, Jacques Anquetil and Miguel Indurain.
“I still dream of that fifth Tour victory. Seeing Alejandro Valverde and Vincenzo Nibali gives me a lot of motivation to keep training. They are respectively five years and a year older than me. But they also won races last month. That gives me courage.”
However, Froome also understands that the emergence of riders such as Tadej Pogačar will make the task even tougher.
“I am particularly impressed with his mental condition," said Froome. "He always has a lot of pressure on his shoulders and the way he handles it is incredible. I've never seen him do anything wrong in race.
"If he attacks, he wins. And if he doesn't win, he's in control. If nothing stops him, he can break any record. And if he wants to, he can be the first after Marco Pantani to win the Giro d'Italia and Tour in the same year.”
Correction: An earlier version of this story stated that Froome had one more year on his contract with ISN. Froome is in fact contracted with the team until at least 2025.
