Froome confirms the end of his career: "I already knew it was over"

Chris Froome has officially confirmed his retirement from professional cycling, bringing an end to a career that made him one of the most dominant riders in grand tours during the past decade. The 40-year-old Briton had not competed since the serious accident he suffered during a training session in August 2025 and was without a team after his contract with Israel-Premier Tech ended.

Chris Froome confirms his retirement: bidding farewell to one of the great legends of the Tour de France

The confirmation came this Thursday in Barcelona, during an event prior to the Tour de France where he was acting as an ambassador for Skoda. According to Sporza, when asked directly if his career had ended, Froome responded with a terse but emphatic “yes.”

Additionally, he explained that the accident he suffered last summer was decisive in making the decision. “Unfortunately, it was that fall last summer. It wasn’t how I wanted it to end. But even then, I already knew it was over,” he stated.

RECOMENDADO

Froome will participate in a race on water bikes across the Mediterranean

What has happened to Chris Froome? Has he retired?

Chris Froome, evacuated by helicopter and hospitalized after an accident in France

Gobik takes aerodynamics to the next level with SUPERSONICA, its fastest collection to date

Van Rysel designs an ultra-reflective helmet to locate Olav Kooij during a sprint

Wilier celebrates its 120th anniversary with an exclusive Filante Ultimate priced at 18,000 euros

The retirement marks the end of one of the most successful careers in modern cycling. Froome made his professional debut in 2008 with the Barloworld team before joining Team Sky in 2010, the structure with which he reached the pinnacle of world cycling.

His breakthrough came in the 2011 Vuelta a España, where he initially finished second, although he later inherited the victory after Juan José Cobo's disqualification. A year later, he finished second in the Tour de France, behind Bradley Wiggins, and in 2013 he won the yellow jersey for the first time.

From there, he built an exceptional palmarès with four victories in the Tour de France (2013, 2015, 2016, and 2017), as well as adding the 2017 Vuelta a España and the 2018 Giro d'Italia, thus completing the collection of the three grand tours.

However, his trajectory changed radically after the serious accident he suffered during a reconnaissance of a time trial at the 2019 Critérium du Dauphiné. That incident caused him multiple fractures and marked a before and after in his performance.

Although he returned to competition in 2020 and later signed with Israel Start-Up Nation — later Israel-Premier Tech — with a five-season contract, he never regained the level that had led him to dominate the grand tours. 

During the last seasons, his presence became increasingly secondary within the peloton, although he never publicly ruled out continuing to compete until the consequences of his last fall ultimately accelerated the outcome.

Froome will remain linked to cycling and during this Tour de France will act as an ambassador for Skoda.

With his retirement, one of the most influential riders of the modern era disappears, a protagonist of some of the most important chapters in 21st-century cycling and one of the few cyclists capable of conquering the Tour, Giro, and Vuelta during his career.