Four-time Tour de France winner Chris Froome started his 2024 season in promising fashion, taking second place in the first stage of the Tour du Rwanda. Froome and his team, Israel-Premier Tech, made a good showing in the team time trial.
Competition details
Froome’s team was overtaken by the Soudal Quick-Step development team, who took the 18km stage title in Kigali, the capital of Rwanda. Now led by Jonathan Vervenne, the Belgian team recorded a time of 20:32, beating Froome’s team by 36 seconds.
Froome, along with teammates Guy Sagiv, Itamar Einhorn, Joe Blackmore and Moritz Kretschy, played a crucial role in the first stage, setting the early pace. However, Froome wasted away and finished 5:21 behind the rest of his team (however he received the same team time).
Froome and his “unfinished task” at the Tour du Rwanda
At the Tour du Rwanda 2023, Chris Froome won one of the stages. He told local media that he has “unfinished business” with the race as he begins his 2024 season on the African continent.
In addition to his personal ambitions, Froome’s presence in Rwanda is in part due to Israel-Premier Tech’s relationship with the African country. In 2023, the team launched its ‘Field of Dreams’ cycling center in Bugesera, as part of the “Racing for Change” initiative.
Check out the results of the 1st stage of the Tour du Rwanda
