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Chris Froome is back on a mountain bike, sort of, in Rwanda

Israel-Premier Tech captain tests his skills between road stages

Photo by: Israel Premier Tech
February 24, 2023
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Chris Froome is in Rwanda for the African country’s eponymous stage race this week and was even in contention for a win after going out on a flyer on Friday. But, between stages, the Israel-Premier Tech veteran racer and Grand Tour winner went out for a little mountain bike ride.

More specifically, he hit the “Field of Dreams” pump track in Bugesera. Still dressed in his IPT race kit, but with what looks like a pair of Sketcher’s trainers instead of road shoes, the four-time Tour de France winner does look a little awkward on the tiny dirt jumper he borrowed to take a lap on the pump track.

Incongruities between Froome’s apparel and the bike he’s riding aside, the pump track is actually part of a really cool project. The Field of Dreams bike center is part of a IPT project, with support from thousands of cycling fans, to increase access to cycling in Rwanda. The Velosolutions-built pump track is the country’s first. Froome, born in Kenya, has been at the forefront of IPT’s “Racing for Change” efforts on the continent.

It’s not the first time Froome’s kitted up for a mountain bike ride. We joined Israel-Premier Tech for a team training camp in Israel that included a singletrack rip through the Negev Desert with some of Froome’s more off-road savvy teammates at the time.