Chris Froome feted by Vuelta but coy on retirement announcement
The 40-year-old does not have a contract for 2026 and is not expected to race next season, but he has indicated that there will be a wait before he makes a formal announcement about his future plans.
Chris Froome was feted on stage at the presentation of the 2026 Vuelta a España on Wednesday evening, but he remained coy about announcing his retirement from professional cycling.
The four-time Tour de France winner is without a team for 2026 following the expiry of his contract with Israel-Premier Tech at the end of this month.
Froome suffered a life-threatening heart injury in the training crash that saw him airlifted to hospital in southern France in late August. The 40-year-old revealed on stage in Monaco on Wednesday evening that he had recently undergone a third round of surgery.
“The last few months I've been in and out of hospitals, only getting out there just yesterday, so my focus has been on that,” Froome told Cyclingnews at the presentation.
“I’m not really ready to talk about my plans just yet, but when I am, I’ll be sure to let everyone know.”
Froome emerged as a Grand Tour contender at the Vuelta in 2011, where he battled with Juan José Cobo for final overall victory. Although Cobo wore the red jersey in Madrid, Froome was awarded the Vuelta eight years later when the Spaniard was stripped of the victory due to irregularities in his biological passport.
By then, Froome had already completed a full set of Grand Tour victories by winning the 2017 Vuelta, where he beat Vincenzo Nibal into second place. On Wednesday evening, the Vuelta organisation played a video to commemorate Froome’s Vuelta career, and he took the stage against a backdrop that read: “Thank you, Chris! Winner and legend of La Vuelta 2011 and 2017.”
Froome was expected to announce his retirement at the end of the 2025 season, and he has indicated that he plans to open a cycling foundation to help African cycling when he retires. On Wednesday evening, however, Froome was reluctant to make any pronouncement about his future.
“People will know soon enough,” he said, adding that an announcement would come “in the next couple of months. Literally, I just got out of the hospital, so it’s been about getting back on my feet. I’ve got a pretty good idea, but I'm not quite ready to announce it yet.”
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