Froome, Thomas out of Tour de France

LONDON • Four-time Tour de France champion Chris Froome and 2018 winner Geraint Thomas are glaring omissions from the formidable Team Ineos' line-up for this year's race.

Froome will not get the chance to bring down the curtain on his hugely successful spell with Ineos - formerly Team Sky - with a tilt at a fifth Tour yellow jersey as he "needs more time", according to team principal Dave Brailsford.

The Kenyan-born British rider will instead aim for the Oct 20-Nov 8 Vuelta a Espana.

He has been trying to get back to peak condition after he was involved in a high-speed crash at last year's Criterium du Dauphine which almost ended his career. But Froome, who broke his neck, femur, elbow, hip and ribs in the crash, conceded he is not in the shape required for the gruelling race starting in Nice on Aug 29 and ends in Paris on Sept 20.

"I've had an incredible recovery from the big crash I had last year and I'm in a very fortunate position to be back racing now already," said the 35-year-old, who will be bidding to add a third Vuelta to his laurels, having won in 2011 and 2017.

"But I'm not confident that I can really fulfil the necessary job that would be needed from me at this year's Tour de France.

"I think it's a lot more realistic targeting the Vuelta a Espana. It gives me a chance to really get stuck into something that's deliverable."

Brailsford had been fulsome in his praise of Froome when announcing the line-up even though relations are said to have been strained when the team decided not to renew his contract earlier this year.

Froome, who has been with the team since it came into being in 2010, will ride for Israel Start Up Nation next season.

"Chris is a legend of our sport, a true champion who has demonstrated incredible grit and determination to come back from his crash last year," he said.

"We want to support him to compete for another Grand Tour title and the Vuelta gives him that little bit more time to continue his progress to the top level."

Grand Tour titles Chris Froome has won in the last decade - four Tour de France, two Vuelta a Espana, and one Giro d'Italia.

Thomas will target the Oct 3-25 Giro d'Italia, leaving defending Tour de France champion Egan Bernal as Ineos' team leader.

"Egan will once again target the yellow jersey in France and we are very excited to give last year's Giro winner, Richard Carapaz, his debut in this year's Tour also," said Brailsford. "Geraint will target the Giro and take on the opportunity to double up his Tour de France win with another Grand Tour title, with the aim of being the first Welshman to win it."

Thomas chose to look on the bright side. "It's nice to finally just have a firm plan in place and know exactly what I'm doing, and try to get some sort of positive out of this year," said the 34-year-old Welshman. "In 2017, I was in great shape, in similar form to what I was in 2018 when I won the Tour.

"The Giro ended badly that year with a crash and it's something I've always wanted to go back to."

Froome will have to wait another year to equal the record of five Tour wins jointly held by Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault and Miguel Indurain.

Brailsford said he and the coaching staff reached their conclusions after a painstaking process, with Andrey Amador, Jonathan Castroviejo, Michal Kwiatkowski, Luke Rowe, Pavel Sivakov, and Dylan van Baarle completing the line-up.

"Selecting the right leader in the right race with the right support team is critical," Brailsford said.

"It has meant we have had to analyse all the latest information to make sure we are in the best position possible to optimise our performances in the coming months."

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE