Chris Froome teased his plans for 2026 at the Vuelta a España route presentation on Thursday night, but has confirmed that they will be released “in the coming months.”
The 40-year-old two-time Vuelta champion is currently without a team for the upcoming season, after his contract ended with Israel-Premier Tech this year. However, the Brit is yet to confirm whether he will retire, or seek another squad for 2026.
Speaking after the Vuelta presentation, Froome said that he was still recovering after suffering a collapsed lung, broken ribs and fractured spine in a training crash in August.
“Thankfully I'm on my feet again, but it’s been a tricky few months,” he told TNT. “I just got out of hospital from my third surgery yesterday, but I'm grateful to be standing on my feet again and put this last injury behind me.”
“Life as a pro cyclist, you’re going to crash at some point, it’s how you deal with it, how you get on with it that really matters.”
On the topic of future plans, the four-time Tour de France winner was more guarded.
“The last few months, I’ve just been focussed on my recovery and getting to this point so that I can be with you here today, but… I’ve got some plans in the pipeline, but I’ll share that with everyone in the coming months.”
Froome’s success in the Spanish race saw him brought onto the presentation stage to watch a film honouring his 2011 - his first professional win - and 2017 victories.
"It was like watching a race from back in the 1980s or 1990s, it feels so long ago, but that really was where it started for me, in terms of believing in my own GC potential and what I could achieve as a professional rider,” Froome told Cyclingnews.
"The Vuelta really has been such a special part of my career, as a rider, it's given me so many special memories, and a lot of suffering in between. But it's the race I've always looked forward to the most."
Pushed for an answer on what 2026 might have in store for him, Froome remained tight-lipped: “People will know soon enough.”
