Brailsford – Froome relationship reportedly ‘good’ just hours before Tour start
‘We have a professional relationship and a personal relationship which is absolutely good on both fronts,’ said the Ineos Grenadiers boss.
Heading out the door? Read this article on the new Outside+ app available now on iOS devices for members! Download the app.
The boss of the Ineos Grenadiers cycling team, Sir Dave Brailsford, assured Thursday that his professional and personal relationship with Chris Froome, quadruple winner of the Tour de France remains “good.”
Related:
- Tour de France: Teams
- Tour de France: Team Ineos Grenadiers
- Will Froome make history, stuck at four Tour de France titles?
“We have a professional relationship and a personal relationship which is absolutely good on both fronts,” he told the BBC.
Brailsford assured that the choice to align Froome, 35, with a run at the Vuelta a España (October 20 to November 8) and not on the Tour de France which starts in Nice this Saturday, was taken to “give Chris a little more time to continue his [recovery],” after his multiple injuries sustained in a training crash at the Dauphiné in 2019.
“Chris had a horrible accident last year and he did a job remarkable to come back and be competitive at the highest level,” Brailsford said. “We looked at what we could do to help him in his training program. Our relationship is as good as ever.”
Froome sustained fractures to his cervical vertebrae, femur, hip, elbow, and wrists. The seven-time grand tour winner will compete in his last race with Team Ineos Grenadiers in Spain, before joining Israel Start-Up Nation for the 2021 season.
Geraint Thomas, the 2018 Tour winner, was also left out by Ineos Grenadiers for the Grande Boucle. The 34-year-old will be responsible for wearing the hopes of his team at the Giro d’Italia (October 3 to 25).
“We have distributed our forces and we feel that we have not neglected any Grand Tour this year,” said Brailsford.