Chris Froome says his dream scenario would be to win a stage of the 2021 Tour de France, but admits his primary goal is supporting his team.
The four-time Tour de France winner, who has been coming back from serious injuries after his 2019 crash, has been selected to ride his ninth edition of the French Grand Tour by his Israel Start-Up Nation team.
But Froome has not yet returned to his best form, so will be riding in support of the team’s general classification leader Michael Woods.
Froome, 36, said in his latest video on his YouTube channel: “It’s been almost a decade since I’ve been into the Tour in this kind of role, where I’m not thinking about trying to go for a result myself.
“I’m going to be there supporting the team as much as I can.”
While Froome, the winner of seven Grand Tours, with victories in all three three-week races, and is still not at his best after his career-threatening injuries, he say he is relishing the chance to ride the Tour after three years away from the race.
He said: “It’s going to be a fantastic experience for me being in the tour de France again. I really hope at least by being there and racing the Tour de France I can use that to lift me up to being much closer to where I need to be.”
Froome has been battling back after suffering multiple serious injuries during the 2019 Critérium du Dauphiné, as he hopes to one day compete for general classification again.
While the Brit had hoped to be fit enough to compete for the overall at this year’s Tour, his progress has been slower than expected, forcing him to reassess his goals.
He said: “I’m going to be trying to soak up as much as I can in terms of that racing that I’ve missed the last couple of years, that intensity.
“The dream scenario for me would be to try and go for a result on a stage, but that’s very much secondary at the moment. The first goal is looking after Woodsy and keeping him out of trouble.”
“You can expect to see me fetching some bottles over the next few weeks.”
-
-
Tom Pidcock anticipated Van der Poel's crash as Brit's Olympic celebration limited to eating all the cake at the buffet
The Brit says his Dutch rival was almost falling before he even went over the top of the downhill section
By Jonny Long •
-
Inspired by Olympic cycling? Everything you need to get into road cycling, time trialling, triathlon or track cycling
You don't have to have earned a tattoo of the five rings to enjoy cycling, here's what you'll need to get started
By Michelle Arthurs-Brennan •
-
'It’s been a nice run, but it’s time': Richie Porte says 2021 edition was his final Tour de France
The Australian leads his national team into the Olympic Games road race on Saturday
By Richard Windsor •
-
Mark Cavendish beats Tim Merlier to sprint victory in post-Tour de France crit
The British sprinter was on the podium again in the lucrative exhibition race in Flanders
By Alex Ballinger •
-
From Dulwich Park to Paris: The story of Fred Wright's debut Tour de France
The 22-year-old Brit, 'a child of the Herne Hill community', was the youngest rider in this year's race
By Jonny Long •
-
Health issues could force Dave Brailsford to step down as Ineos Grenadiers boss
The 57-year-old has been treated for cancer and heart issues over the past couple of years
By Jonny Long •
-
How much prize money did Tadej Pogačar get for winning the Tour de France?
There was around €2.3 million up for grabs in this year's race
By Tim Bonville-Ginn •
-
Mark Cavendish rues leaving Mørkøv's wheel on Champs-Élysées, but will he ride another Tour de France?
Cavendish remains on 34 wins but is all smiles as he wins green jersey in incredible comeback
By Jonny Long •
-
Tour de France 2021 team ratings: how did each team perform?
We rate the performances of each of the teams in the 108th editon of the Tour de France
By Stephen Puddicombe •
-
'I came for more than this': Mads Pedersen's Tour de France marred by injuries but sees green jersey on the horizon
The 2019 world champion wasn't able to build on his impressive form in last year's Tour
By Chris Marshall-Bell •
