Chris Froome renews Team Sky contract

Tour de France winner Chris Froome has renewed his contract with Sky. The team did not report the length of the contract, but principal David Brailsford told Cycling Weekly in July that he wanted a three-year deal, through to the end of 2016.

"This has been an incredible year for me and I'm delighted to finish it off by signing a new contract with Team Sky," Froome said in a press release on Monday. "I've been with this team since the start and I know this is the right place for me to continue to grow as a rider."

Sky announced that it extended the contracts of 10 riders: Froome, Peter Kennaugh, David López, Ian Stannard, Luke Rowe, Salvatore Puccio, Sergio Henao, Chris Sutton, Danny Pate and Xabier Zandio.

Froome may have signed at the team's camp in Majorca, Spain, earlier this month. Brailsford told Cycling Weekly at the Tour de France that he wanted to hold on to his star and that they were close to signing a deal.

"Obviously, it's no secret that we want him to stay," Brailsford said. "It's well under way, should we say. There's a few dots on the Is and crossing the Ts. It's not signed, but we're in an agreement."

Froome turned professional with Barloworld and raced with them in 2008 and 2009. He joined Sky for its debut year, in 2010, on a two-year deal. After placing second to Juan José Cobo in the 2011 Vuelta a España, Brailsford renewed his contract for three more years, though 2014.

Even with one year to go, Brailsford wanted to secure Froome's service. This year, he won the Tour of Oman, Critérium International, Tour of Romandie and Critérium du Dauphiné. Last year, he helped Bradley Wiggins become Great Britain's first Tour winner.

"It's impossible to win races without the right team beside you so I'd like to thank everyone at the team for their continued support," Froome added. "It's an honour to be a Team Sky rider and I hope to play a big part of its success for years to come."

Brailsford would not speak about how much Froome would earn. Cycling Weekly estimated that the 28-year-old receives £3.35m [€4m] a year.

"It's obviously as riders developed and improve their value keeps escalating," he said at the time. "We have to manage that so that a rider feels like a he's getting paid the value their worth.

This year's Giro winner, Vincenzo Nibali reportedly signed with team Astana for £1.93m (€2.3m) annually in mid-2012. Alberto Contador, just before the UCI announced his positive doping test, signed with Saxo Bank in 2010 for a reported £3.77m (€4.5m).

Sky also invested in Froome's support system. Peter Kennaugh, David López and Ian Stannard formed part of his eight-man team when he won the Tour de France. It also added new riders earlier this year, like Basque climber Mikel Nieve.

Wiggins' contract runs through 2014.

Related links

July 11 2013: Froome close to signing new Sky contract

Chris Froome: Rider profile