Chris Froome and Richie Porte to go head-to-head in the mountains at the Tour de Romandie
Tour de Romandie will see former team-mates go up against each other in a stage race for the first time this year
Former team-mates Chris Froome and Richie Porte will go head-to-head in a stage race for the first time since last year's Tour de France at the Tour de Romandie, which starts on Tuesday.
The two men who rode together at Team Sky are the star names on a start list slightly lacking in other big general classification contenders as the likes of Nairo Quintana and Vincenzo Nibali prepare for the Giro d'Italia.
Froome, who won the race in 2013 and 2014, has had a mixed start to the season, picking up a second place finish on a summit finish in the Volta a Catalunya, but failing to make an impact on the general classification after losing nearly 27 minutes on the penultimate stage.
Watch: Chris Froome - how I won the 2016 Tour de France
Meanwhile BMC Racing's Porte also suffered from time losses on flat stages in his last race outing at Paris-Nice, but appeared assured in the mountains, winning the race's queen stage up the Col de la Couillole.
Away from Sky and BMC, Katusha-Alpecin will head into the race with two former Romandie winners in Ilnur Zakarin and Simon Spilak, while other riders who could potentially shake-up an expected Froome vs Porte showdown including Rigoberto Uran (Cannondale-Drapac), Warren Barguil (Team Sunweb), and the impressive Primoz Roglic.
The Tour de Romandie will start on Tuesday, April 25 with a prologue time trial in Aigle, and finish five days later with another slightly longer time trial in Lausanne. The key stages of the race appear to be the summit finishes on stages one and four
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
Thank you for reading 20 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access
Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription
Join now for unlimited access
Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
Henry Robertshaw began his time at Cycling Weekly working with the tech team, writing reviews, buying guides and appearing in videos advising on how to dress for the seasons. He later moved over to the news team, where his work focused on the professional peloton as well as legislation and provision for cycling. He's since moved his career in a new direction, with a role at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
-
Forget distance covered, these are the key stats to note in your Strava Year in Sport
We asked a coach how to best analyse our end of year Strava data
By Tom Davidson Published
-
'She should show a bit more respect' - Lotte Kopecky responds to Demi Vollering comments
The pair seemingly had one last fractious year together at SD Worx-Protime in 2024
By Tom Davidson Published
-
Chris Froome misses out on Tour de France selection
39-year-old absent from Israel-Premier Tech's eight-rider roster
By Tom Davidson Published
-
A complete history of Ineos Grenadiers kits, from Adidas to Gobik, via Rapha
The British team switch to Gobik in 2024 after two years with Bioracer
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
Chris Froome's boss rubbishes claims bike fit is behind lack of results
'He can talk about his bike position until the cows come home - that's still not going to earn him a position on a Grand Tour team' says Israel-Premier Tech team owner Sylvan Adams
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
Chris Froome, rim brake evangelist, 'warms to' disc brakes
The Israel-Premier Tech rider, also an investor at Factor Bikes, says that he has "way less problems" with discs these days
By Adam Becket Published
-
Is Chris Froome - in 2023 - a professional cyclist, or an influencer?
The seven-time Grand Tour winner hasn't raced since July, but has taken to being interesting on social media
By Adam Becket Published
-
Chris Froome 'absolutely not' worth multi-million euro salary says his team boss
The four-time Tour de France winner was not selected for this year's Tour de France for performance reasons, Israel-Premier Tech boss Sylvan Adams says
By Chris Marshall-Bell Published
-
Chris Froome not selected for Tour de France 2023
38-year-old misses out on 'ultimate goal' as Israel-Premier Tech confirm eight-man squad
By Tom Davidson Published
-
Back to Africa: Chris Froome on going back to his roots, his future and cycling's new generation
He’s come full circle, but is there time for another loop? We talk to the four-time Tour champ about his and African cycling’s future
By Adam Becket Published