Froome told Cycling Pro Net at the start of stage five of the Dauphiné: “I’m not talking about winning the Tour de France in a few weeks, that’s for sure. I’m focused on returning to my former level and taking one step at a time. I don’t go from this level to winning the Tour de France in a few weeks.
“I know where I’ve come from. A year ago I was on a bike, racing before I could even walk properly. To be here in the Dauphiné walking properly, having no issues, and being in the race is great progress already. I’m looking at those measurements. I know other people don’t see those measurements because they don’t see what happens behind the scenes.”
The four-time Tour winner hopes to come back to the Tour as a GC leader for the Israel Start-Up Nation. However, his sports director said Froome‘s selection is not guaranteed. So far, he finished all four stage races he entered in 2021 but was not able to compete for victory. The best GC result came with his 47th place at the UAE Tour in February.
In an interview with French newspaper La Derniere Heure, Israel Start-Up Nation‘s sports director Rik Verbrugghe said: “He is a huge champion for whom I have a lot of respect but his participation in the Tour de France is by no means self-evident. I expect there will be some clarity during this Dauphiné. He has made constant progress since the start of the season but we would have liked his progress to be more exponential.”
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