Chris Froome posts final California training ride on Strava as he prepares for season debut

Chris Froome has posted his final training ride in California on Strava, before heading out to make his Israel Start-Up Nation debut at the UAE Tour.

The seven-time Grand Tour winner set over 20 new personal bests on his final ride near Los Angeles on Sunday (February 14), as well as several top-10s on some of the climbs in the area with Australian pro rider, Cameron Wurf (Ineos Grenadiers) and Michele Lisi from Subaru Santa Monica Racing.

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Froome went on a 147.35km ride that took just under five hours and had 2,578 metres of elevation, as the British Grand Tour specialist tested his legs.

His ride started off flat as they rode along the coast out of Santa Monica, through Malibu and out before turning back and starting the climbs on in the second half of the ride.

The climbs they took on were the Yerba Buena, where Froome posted the sixth fastest time as well as the Piuma Road climb, which was taken at a much easier pace.

Froome has been training in southern California and spending time at the Red Bull Athlete Performance Centre in Santa Monica, where he has been working hard to overcome his 20 per cent deficit in his right quad after his horrific crash in 2019.

In a recent piece by Red Bull, Froome said that he is confident that has moved on from rehab and can now focus on building towards another hit at a record-equaling fifth Tour de France title.

Froome is set to start his season at the first WorldTour race of the season, the UAE Tour, where he will go up against the likes of Tour de France champion Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates), defending UAE Tour champion Adam Yates (Ineos Grenadiers) and a whole host of big names as he hopes to put on a good showing.

He's also expected to ride the Volta Ciclista a Catalunya and the Critérium du Dauphiné before heading to the Tour and his main goal of a fifth yellow jersey in Paris.