Chris Froome has given up on returning to winning races again after insisting less than a year ago he believed changes he had made to his approach to racing could help bring him back to his old form.
The British rider - who won four Tours and claimed two wins in both the Vuelta and Giro - last November said he had changed his bike position significantly and was "hoping that will help me get closer to my old ways again”.
“It’s a positive thing for me. I’ve found it’s given me a lot of added motivation now because it might be part of the puzzle, missing pieces, as to why I haven’t quite found the level that I’ve wanted to get to," he added at the time.
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However, Froome now has another anonymous season under his belt with Israel Premier Tech and has clearly resigned himself to the fact he will not regain the ability to win races. He last took a victory in 2018, winning the Giro.
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He then suffered a life-threatening crash while warming up for the TT at Critérium du Dauphiné in 2019, while still with Ineos. Having moved to his current team since the start of the 2021 season, he has failed to recapture anything like his old form.
Though Froome was in the breakaway on stage 2 of Gree-Tour of Guangxi (2.UWT) yesterday, he also made it clear in an interview at the race he was no longer aiming for race wins, ahead of what is expected to be his final season next year.
"I'm going to sit down with the team towards the end of the season and figure out exactly what next year looks like and get stuck into it," Froome told WielerFlits. "At this point, I'm looking just to do what I can in the sport. Realistically I'm not looking for victories myself.
"I love the sport and love riding my bike so that makes it a lot easier," he said when asked if he was now simply focused on the fun of being able to race."
He added he was in China to support his team mate, young British star, Joseph Blackmore, adding he had always tried to help his team mates through his career when he could.
