Four times Tour de France champion Chris Froome will leave Team INEOS at the end of the season, the team said in a statement on Thursday.
Froome, who won the Tour in 2013, 2015, 2016 and 2017 is one win away from matching the record of five victories held jointly by Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault and Miguel Indurain.
“Chris’s current contract comes to an end in December and we have taken the decision now not to renew it. We are making this announcement earlier than would usually be the case to put an end to recent speculation and allow the Team to focus on the season ahead,” general manager Dave Brailsford said.
Froome, who suffered a horrible accident last year and returned to racing in February, said he was focused on winning his fifth Tour title with the team.
“It has been a phenomenal decade with the Team, we have achieved so much together and I will always treasure the memories,” he added.
“I look forward to exciting new challenges as I move into the next phase of my career but in the meantime my focus is on winning a fifth Tour de France with Team Ineos.”
Chris Froome would join the Israel Start-Up Nation team next season.
