Chris Froome’s Israel-Premier Tech given 2023 Tour de France wild card along with debutants Uno-X

Israel-Premier Tech and Uno-X have been awarded wild cards for the 2023 Tour de France, meaning Chris Froome could compete at this year’s race for the eleventh time.

The 18 WorldTour teams and two best ranked ProTeams, Lotto Dstny and TotalEnergies, make up 20 of the 22 squads at the Tour, with event organisers choosing two wild cards to complete the roster.

And they have chosen to select Israel-Premier Tech, who were relegated from the WorldTour at the end of last year, and Uno-X, who will be the first Scandinavian team to take part in the race since Danish outfit Saxo-Tinkoff in 2013.

Sylvan Adams, owner of Israel-Premier Tech, says they are looking forward to returning to the Tour, which takes place from July 1-23.

“We hope to build on our success of last summer where we won two stages, including one of the most difficult on the mythical cobbles of the Paris-Roubaix course,” said Adams.

“Israel-Premier Tech was one of only six teams that won at least two stages at last year’s race, and we will be hunting for more success in the 2023 edition.

“We will be dangerous and strong, I promise, and hope to bring winning joy to our many fans around the world, and especially in Israel.”

As for Uno-X, it’s a monumental moment for the team as they have never raced at a Grand Tour.

“We are extremely proud, humble, and grateful for the invitation,” said general manager Jens Haugland.

“The Tour de France is the ultimate dream, and just being a part of this is a victory for the team.

“One of our long-term goals is to be able to fight for the top positions in Tour de France in the future. We see no reason to think that this isn’t possible.”