Call it what it is. Chris Froome — four-time Tour de France champion, seven-time Grand Tour winner, and arguably the most resilient rider of his generation — has joined the gran fondo peloton, on land and water.
On Friday, 19 June, Froome will race in The Crossing, a 225km water bike gran fondo-style relay from Viareggio, Italy, to Monaco, passing through the protected Pelagos Marine Sanctuary. Teams of four will rotate day and night before finishing at Larvotto Beach. The event supports the Princess Charlène of Monaco Foundation and the Prince Albert II Foundation, with a focus on ocean conservation and drowning prevention.
Having not raced in nearly a year, without a team or contract, and with his last victory — a gran fondo win — coming in 2024, competing in The Crossing fits the pattern of a former pro, now 41, joining the same weekend-warrior amateur peloton as the rest of us.
In December 2024, Froome lined up at the inaugural L’Étape Sun Moon Lake in Taiwan alongside 2,500 amateur cyclists from 32 countries. He crossed the line first on the mountainous 104km route in 2:54:48 — his first race victory in six years — with amateurs Wu Tan and Lai Yuliang finishing 1 minute 52 seconds and 2 minutes 1 second behind, respectively. Retired Tour de France star Mark Cavendish, also 41, rolled in 14 minutes 35 seconds later in sixth place.
That win against a field of amateurs was the last time Froome stood atop a competitive podium. His most recent WorldTour start came at the Tour of Poland last August, where he finished 68th. His contract with Israel-Premier Tech — now NSN — has since expired, no new team has been announced, and he has not commented publicly on his future in cycling since last December.
In the intervening months, his schedule has looked decidedly non-professional. In April, Froome joined more than 5,000 riders at the Gran Fondo Océano a Océano Panamá, a 125km route crossing the isthmus from the Atlantic to the Pacific. He rode alongside Alejandro Valverde, and the pair staged a theatrical recreation of Froome’s famous on-foot sprint up Mont Ventoux during the 2016 Tour de France.
Whether Froome ever officially confirms his retirement or simply continues drifting toward the gran fondo calendar, the pattern is clear. The man who once ruled the high mountains of the Tour now belongs, at least for the moment, to the same peloton as the rest of us.
Welcome, Chris.
Photo Credit: stock
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