Froome was expected to challenge for a record-equalling fifth Yellow Jersey but team principal Sir Dave Brailsford has denied him the opportunity
- Chris Froome will miss out on the record-equalling fifth Yellow Jersey he craves after being axed from the Team Ineos squad for the Tour de France.
And 2018 winner Geraint Thomas was also left out in a brutal selection which left road captain Luke Rowe as the only British rider on the road for Ineos.
Va Va Froome was so far off the pace in last week’s warm-up Criterium du Dauphine that team principal Sir Dave Brailsford decided he was not worth a place in this year’s blue riband race.
Although he has made a startling recovery from multiple broken bones in a 40mph crash at the Dauphine 14 months ago, Froome’s performance on the road is not yet back to his best racing level.
By the time the 2021 Tour de France comes round, Froome will be riding in new colours for Israel Start-Up Nation and he will be 36 years old.
Only once, in Le Tour’s rich history, has the race been won by a rider beyond his 35th birthday – and that was 98 years ago.
The four-times Tour champion trailed in 1hr 26min behind Dauphine winner Daniel Martinez, and Brailsford – never sentimental in his selection – has told Froome to target next month’s Vuelta in Spain instead.
But if Froome’s omission from Le Tour was well-signposted, the omission of Thomas was a shock.
As defending champion in 2019, the pride of Wales overcame a rash of crashes, punctures and assorted bad luck with the weather to finish runner-up behind Ineos team-mate Egan Bernal.
The Colombian will head the Ineos train when the peloton assembles in Nice on August 29, but Thomas will be assigned leadership for the Giro d’Italia instead.
Brailsford said: “I am very proud that we have several current, and I am sure future, Grand Tour champions in the team. Selecting the right leader in the right race with the right support team is critical and 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.
“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.
“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.
“In turn, Chris Froome will target the Vuelta. 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.
“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.”
