Four-time Tour de France winner Chris Froome has confirmed his retirement from professional cycling, ending one of the sport's most decorated careers. The 41-year-old British rider announced the decision in Barcelona at the Grand Départ of this year's Tour, citing a severe crash last August that left him with life-threatening injuries.
Froome, who also won the Giro d'Italia in 2018 and the Vuelta a España in 2011 and 2017, was airlifted to hospital after a training accident that caused five broken ribs, a spine fracture, a collapsed lung and a pericardial rupture. 'Unfortunately, there was that fall last summer. That wasn't the way I wanted it to end. But even then, I knew it was over,' he said.
His final professional race was the Tour of Poland in August 2024, where he finished 68th overall. His last Grand Tour result came at the 2022 Vuelta, placing 113th. Froome dominated the Tour de France during 11 seasons with Team Sky, winning four times between 2013 and 2017, and briefly held all three Grand Tour titles simultaneously in 2018.
His hopes of a fifth Tour win were derailed by a serious crash in 2019 at the Criterium du Dauphiné, which marked the end of his dominance. Despite signing a lucrative contract with Israel-Premier Tech in 2021, he never regained top form and was publicly criticised by team owner Sylvan Adams after being omitted from the 2023 Tour team.
Froome will attend this year's Tour as a brand ambassador for sponsor Skoda, watching Tadej Pogacar target a fifth win. 'If he's able to stay on his bike, if he can stay out of trouble, just the way he's moving this year, it looks as if he's got this one in the bag,' Froome said.
Throughout his career, Froome faced scepticism from French media and public, particularly after an adverse analytical finding for salbutamol in 2018, from which he was exonerated. He maintained his integrity, stating: 'I said I would never dishonour the yellow jersey and my results would stand the test of time.'
