Froome announces return to racing at UAE Tour next month

Multiple Grand Tour winner Chris Froome announced on Wednesday that he will be back racing at the UAE Tour, the one and only World Tour race in the Middle East, organized by the Dubai Sports Council, the Abu Dhabi Sports Council and Sharjah Sports Council, in partnership with RCS Sport,

The seven-day race is scheduled from Feb.23 to 29.

Froome, 34, has been out of action since he fractured a thigh, elbow and vertebrae in a high-speed pre-race crash ahead of the Dauphine event in France in June 2019.

“Froome is scheduled to return to racing at the @uae_tour race next month, as he prepares to take a significant step forward on his road to recovery following his crash at the Dauphine in June,” the team tweeted.

Froome announced that he will be at the start of the second edition of the UAE Tour.

 “I’m really excited about getting back to racing at the UAE Tour. I’ve come off a good block of training in Gran Canaria and look forward to taking the next step in my recovery and getting back to full strength,” said Froome.

Froome’s name adds to the top class roster of riders who have already announced their participation for the event.

Last year’s UAE Tour runner-up and 2018 UCI Road World Champion, Alejandro Valverde, also winner of the 2018 Abu Dhabi Tour and two times stage winner atop Jebel Hafeet; two-times UCI Time Trial World Champion and stage winner at the 2018 Abu Dhabi Tour, Rohan Dennis; 2019 Giro d’Italia Maglia Azzurra (King of the Mountains) Giulio Ciccone, the young Slovenian Tadej Pogacar, winner of the 2019 Tour of California, three stages and third overall at the 2019 Vuelta a Espana, have already confirmed to take part in race.

The Team Ineos rider has yet to unveil his race schedule but his main ambition is to add another Tour title to his collection to join an elite club of four riders with five victories, Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault and Miguel Indurain.

Froome recently insisted he is out of rehab and back in full training, focused on being in prime shape and at the starting line for the 2020 Tour de France in July.

“The only appointment I have set myself is the Tour de France and until then I’ll keep chipping away trying to make the most of every camp and every race building up to July,” said Froome.

The Tour de Fance (June 27-July 19) actually starts a week earlier than usual in 2020 to accommodate the Tokyo Olympics.

“(I) hope that come that start line in Nice in July I’ll be ready to go.”