‘Chris Froome was very disappointing, he’s a long way off’ – Sean Kelly and Alberto Contador

ByTom Bennett

Updated 20/10/2020 at 19:20 GMT

Chris Froome lost over 11 minutes on the opening day of La Vuelta as any lingering hopes that he could contend for General Classification honours were dashed. Froome has struggled to regain full fitness and form after his crash in 2019, and will not compete for the Vuelta title in his last appearance for Ineos.

Sean Kelly and Alberto Contador were surprised at the level of Chris Froome’s performance on day one of La Vuelta.

Froome lost over 11 minutes on general classification when he was dropped on a tricky day’s racing at the start of the Grand Tour.

And Kelly said he was expecting more of Froome, even if the 35-year-old is still on the way back from his 2019 injuries.

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“I was very surprised,” Kelly said. “I thought he would be able to hang in the group but we could see he was fighting big-time to try and stay in the group. That shows he’s still a long way off. It doesn’t look like he’s going to be anywhere in the general classification and today has given us that answer.

'Ineos aren't even waiting for Froome': Watch the moment Chris Froome was dropped on Stage One

“The level he’s at, he’s going to be a long, long way off and he’s going to be very disappointed in himself. I would reckon that he was hoping to be in better shapeDay one, you should be able to train to be at a level to be competitive enough to stay in that group.

“Very disappointing and I was expecting a lot more from him today in this stage and at the start of the Vuelta.”

• La Vuelta Stage 1 LIVE
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And Contador said something is worse with Froome than he and Ineos would have been expecting.

“We are missing something that is happening to Froome,” Contador said. “His situation on a psychological level will not be good and neither with his team.

“It is a surprise because it is not usual to see someone so important in this way. The team has done its job and Froome has not been able to reach that level. We'll see what Chris' final role will be, because it's an unknown.”

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