Chris Froome says he might not ride Tour de France 2015
Team Sky rider suggests Giro and Vuelta could be the priorities for 2015
- (opens in new tab)
- (opens in new tab)
- (opens in new tab)
- Sign up to our newsletter Newsletter

Chris Froome has surprisingly suggested he may skip the Tour de France in 2015, instead prioritising the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta d'Espana.
Following the announcement of the 2015 Tour route, the Team Sky leader said in a statement on his website: "The team and I will have to give it some careful consideration before we make any commitments to which of the grand tours I will compete in. I see myself as quite a balanced GC rider and the Giro with its inclusion of a long TT of 60km and tough uphill finishes will make it a well balanced race which suits me well. If I did the Giro I may also be able to get myself back to top shape for the Vuelta and go there with a realistic chance of aiming for the win."
Froome suggested that seriously competing in two Grand Tours would be a step up for him in comparison to previous seasons.
"In the past I've only targeted one grand tour each season but it could be a good opportunity for me to focus seriously on two. It's still early days though and we'll have to sit down and put our heads together as a team to work out what 2015 is going to look like for us."
The 2015 edition of the Tour is light on time trials, with just one 13.7km stage scheduled and one team time trial. Froome put at least a minute into his biggest rivals on the pan-flat stage to Mont-Saint-Michel in 2013, and over three in Nairo Quintana’s case.
"There's no two ways about it, next year's Tour is going to be about the mountains," said Froome. "There's very little emphasis on time trialling, which means the race will be decided up in the high mountains. With six mountaintop finishes it is going to be an aggressive and massively demanding race."
As for the inclusion of cobbles on stage five of the 2015 Tour, Froome refused to concede that will be at a disadvantage. "I actually quite enjoy the challenge of riding on the cobbles. It's a difficult and stressful obstacle for us to overcome when it's part of a race like the Tour de France, but we're all in the same boat and there's no reason why I'd be any worse off than any of the other GC contenders.
"The cobbles were not the cause of my departure from the Tour this year, it was the crash on the previous stage which could have happened to anybody. I was in the wrong place at the wrong time".
More on the 2015 Tour de France
Tour de France 2015 route
Take a look at every stage of the route of the 2015 Tour de France
Four key climbs of the Tour de France 2015 (videos)
Thank you for reading 10 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
-
-
Pfeiffer Georgi wins Brugge-De Panne solo after aggressive race splits in crosswinds
Brit claims her first WorldTour win by out-foxing some of the fastest riders in the world
By Vern Pitt • Published
-
Kaden Groves sprints to victory on stage four of the Volta a Catalunya
Australian takes first win for new Alpecin-Deceuninck team ahead of Bryan Coquard
By Adam Becket • Published
-
'Rough day' for Chris Froome after crash and punctures kill best chance of victory since 2018
The 37-year-old was up the road in a solo move for over 50km at the Tour du Rwanda on Thursday
By Adam Becket • Published
-
Chris Froome highlights dangers of long Covid after battle with virus
Four-time Tour de France champion warns of cardiovascular impact and says his VO2 max took a hit after illness
By Tom Thewlis • Published
-
Chris Froome labels WorldTour relegation a ‘death sentence for many teams’
Four-time Tour de France winner says UCI points system needs overhaul as Israel-PremierTech face relegation from the WorldTour
By Tom Thewlis • Last updated
-
Chris Froome still holds out hope for fifth Tour de France win
Israel-Premier Tech rider says the dream is "always there"
By Tom Davidson • Published
-
Chris Froome out of Tour de France after positive Covid-19 test result
Four-time winner and third on Alpe d’Huez stage forced to abandon on stage 18
By Tom Thewlis • Published
-
'I’m going to keep pushing. I don’t know what my limits are': Chris Froome climbs to best result since 2018
Israel-Premier Tech rider finished third on stage 12 of the Tour de France to Alpe d'Huez
By Adam Becket • Published
-
La Planche des Belles Filles: will today's Tour de France climb be make or break?
Primož Roglič may be looking to salvage his Tour de France by exorcising his 2020 demons on the brutal climb
By Tom Thewlis • Last updated
-
'I'm trying to get back to my old self again' — Chris Froome achieves his best result since 2019 horror crash
Chris Froome finished 11th at the Mercan Tour Classic Alpes-Maritimes on Tuesday, his best result for almost three years
By Adam Becket • Published