Four-time Tour de France winner Chris Froome has returned to riding after a serious crash in August that left him with a heart injury, but he is remaining quiet about his future and whether he will retire or race on in 2026.
Though he has worked to get back on the road, Froome does not have a contract for 2026 after his long-term deal with Israel-Premier Tech expired this year, and there are no rumblings that he may be in talks with another team, with retirement seeming likely for the 40-year-old, especially after the latest crash.
However, he has yet to confirm that he will be ending his successful career. An Instagram post on Wednesday, though hopeful, made no references to next year and mentioned only "spinning the legs" rather than any serious training.
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"It’s been a tough road back after my latest crash but it feels so good to finally be out here spinning the legs and on the road again," he wrote.
"Every setback teaches you something… this one reminded me to slow down, heal & enjoy the simple things in life."
The last few years of Froome's career have been largely without results, but he pushed on to the end of his Israel-Premier Tech deal, despite never reaching the highs of his earlier career. The British rider won the Tour de France four times with Team Sky, as well as taking two Vuelta a España titles and one Giro d'Italia victory with one of most memorable turnarounds in recent memory.
After a serious crash in 2019, he never quite found that winning level again, and moved to Israel-Premier Tech on a five-year deal in 2021, where his results were largely forgettable. Rumours of tension with team owner Sylvan Adams circled over the Brit's failure to deliver for the team, with some suggesting Froome should retire early, but he saw out his contract, and Israel-Premier Tech confirmed his departure from the squad this autumn.
After their farewell post to departing riders, the team, who are stepping back up to WorldTour level in 2026, announced they are rebranding as NSN Cycling, after initially agreeing to move away from their 'Israel' branding, and then losing title sponsor Premier Tech in November.
The team had their first pre-season training camp this week, and the riders have been training in unbranded Ekoï kit, with the Israel-Premier Tech image firmly in the past, but no new jersey yet.
Riders have previously trained in unbranded kit for safety reasons, and finished the Vuelta a España without the word 'Israel' on their jersey.
For the moment, the riders are still riding Factor bikes, but there are questions over whether the brand will continue with the team in 2026, with Scott rumoured to be in line as a replacement.
Despite the team's rebranding, the controversy around the team and their former identity is still rolling on in the cycling world. This week, kit reseller Pro Kit Club came under fire from some corners of the cycling world by deciding to sell secondhand Israel-Premier Tech kit and donate all the profits to the UN World Food Programme, helping to fight starvation in Gaza.
The seller responded by turning off comments on their Instagram post and calling out those who had criticised the move, saying: "We simply wanted to try and do some good in a horrible situation."
