Four-time winner Froome not included in Tour selection for Tour de France

This article was last updated on June 23, 2023

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Chris Froome left out of Israel-Premier Tech’s Tour de France squad

Israel-Premier Tech opts for a different lineup for this year’s Tour de France

Four-time Tour de France winner, Chris Froome, will not be participating in this year’s race. Israel-Premier Tech, the Israeli team, announced on Friday that Froome has not been included in their eight-man selection for the prestigious event.

Last year, Froome managed to start the Tour but was forced to abandon the race due to a positive COVID-19 test. However, he did impress with a third-place finish in a mountain stage to Alpe d’Huez. Froome’s last victory in the Tour de France was in 2017, and he had previously claimed the coveted yellow jersey in 2016, 2015, and 2013.

In recent years, Froome has struggled to compete for overall victories in the grand tours. While he did win the Vuelta a España twice (in 2011 and 2017) and the Giro d’Italia once (in 2018), the British rider has been unable to replicate his previous success in the Tour de France.

Israel-Premier Tech, however, has set its sights on stage victories in this year’s Tour. The team will be led by Michael Woods and Dylan Teuns in the mountains, aiming to secure success on individual stages.

Three Canadians in Tour squad Israel-Premier Tech

Hugo Houle from Canada and Simon Clarke from Australia, both of whom won a Tour stage for Israel-Premier Tech last year, have been included in this year’s team lineup as well.

With Houle, Woods, and Guillaume Boivin, Israel-Premier Tech boasts a strong Canadian presence. Team manager Rik Verbrugghe expressed confidence in the team’s abilities, saying, “We have a strong team and are ready to race aggressively.”

The Tour de France is set to commence next Saturday in Bilbao, Spain, and will traditionally culminate on the Champs-Élysées in Paris after three weeks of intense racing. Jonas Vingegaard, last year’s overall winner, will be representing Jumbo-Visma and vying for the yellow jersey once again this year.

Tour squad Israel-Premier Tech

The final squad for Israel-Premier Tech in the Tour de France includes the following riders:

• Guillaume Boivin (Canada)
• Simon Clarke (Australia)
• Hugo Houle (Canada)
• Krists Neilands (Latvia)
• Nick Schultz (Australia)
• Corbin Strong (New Zealand)
• Dylan Teuns (Belgium)
• Michael Woods (Canada)

These riders will represent Israel-Premier Tech in their pursuit of stage victories in the Tour de France.