Tour de France winner Chris Froome and ten others ink contracts with Team Sky

Sebastian Henao sole newcomer in list, others extend current arrangements

Extending what has been four years with the squad thus far, Tour de France winner Chris Froome has inked a deal to remain part of Team Sky into the future. The 28 year old Briton is one of ten contract extensions announced by the squad today, with an additional rider coming on board for the first time.

The deal means that Froome’s bid to win another Tour will see him surrounded by familiar faces in 2014 and possibly beyond.

The length of the extension has not been made clear by the team, but Froome has said that he is very content to continue his time there.

“This has been an incredible year for me and I’m delighted to finish it off by signing a new contract with Team Sky. I’ve been with this team since the start and I know this is the right place for me to continue to grow as a rider,” he said.

“It’s impossible to win races without the right team beside you so I’d like to thank everyone at the team for their continued support. It’s an honour to be a Team Sky rider and I hope to play a big part of its success for years to come.”

Four of the riders named today as continuing with the squad were part of the team’s selection in the Tour de France. They are Froome, fellow Britons Peter Kennaugh and Ian Stannard, plus the Spaniard David López. Two others, namely Australia’s Richie Porte and Welshman Geraint Thomas, had previously been confirmed as extending.

“Everyone is excited to kick things off again in 2014 and we do so with what we believe is the most talented team in the world,” said the performance manager Rod Ellingworth.

“We’ve consolidated what is an incredibly strong group of guys over the winter. The team’s core remains intact and that’s important going forward. Everyone is committed to keep improving and we always look to provide the best environment for riders to do that.”

The other six riders named today as extending are the Briton Luke Rowe, the Italian Salvatore Puccio – who wore the maglia rose in his Giro d’Italia debut – Australia’s Chris Sutton, Colombia’s Sergio Henao, the American Danny Pate and Spain’s Xabier Zandio.

There is also one new signing, namely Henao’s cousin Sebastian.

He joins three others who were previously announced as coming on board, namely Philip Deignan (Ireland), Mikel Nieve (Spain) and Nathan Earle (Australia).

Riders confirmed today as extending with Team Sky:

Sebastian Henao