Chris Froome has donned a new team's kit today for the first time in over a decade after leaving Ineos Grenadiers for Israel Start-Up Nation.
The 35-year-old came to the end of his contract with Ineos Grenadiers at midnight last night and his tenure as an Israel Start-Up Nation rider began.
He has been a professional rider since signing with South Africa's Team Konica Minolta in 2007 before moving to another African team, Barloworld, for two seasons.
He began his time at Sky Procycling at the start of 2010 and enjoyed a breakthrough ride in the 2011 Vuelta. He finished 2nd overall but was last year elevated to winner of the event after Juan José Cobo was penalised for doping.
Sky Procycling was just about to let Froome go at that time and Jonathan Vaughters was about to sign him. But his 2011 Vuelta ride saw Froome's salary expectations surge, as Vaughters later revealed.
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Froome then supported Bradley Wiggins to Tour de France victory in 2012 before Wiggins effectively took a step back and Froome assumed the team leader role.
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Since then he has won the Tour four times as well as the Giro d'Italia and another Vuelta crown. Despite his horrific crash on a recon TT ride at Criterium du Dauphine in June, 2019, Israel Start-Up Nation has signed him as team leader.
Froome has yet to regain his top form following his crash and has been a shadow of his former self so far, though finishing the Vuelta last season was a step forward for him and he has said he believes it was vital towards a full recovery.
In the same race Dan Martin rescued Israel Start Up Nation's season with a stage win and 4th overall. How the duo will mix as team mates remains to be seen, though Martin has claimed he's looking forward to having Froome as a team mate.
Israel Start Up Nation appears determined its next few years will revolve around helping Froome, who will turn 36 years in May, try to win a fifth Tour title, despite so many young riders coming into their own in the past 12 to 18 months.
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