The 2020 road season has only just ended, but Israel's Startup Nation team is already considering its lineup and possible roster for next season, and both Chris Froome and Dan Martin could head to the Tour de France with podium finishes in their sights.

Froome will lead the team's new additions for the new season, along with Michael Woods, Patrick Bevin, and Sepp Vanmarcke.

At the same time, Dan Martin finished fourth in the recent Vuelta a España, and the Irishman also won a mountain stage in the opening week. Froom heads to the team looking for his fifth Tour de France title, but from a tactical standpoint, ISN general manager Kjell Carlström believes that the most sensible tactical approach is to go into the Tour de France with two potential cards to play He believes that the most sensible tactical approach is to go into the Tour de France with two potential cards in hand.

In a recent interview with the Cyclingnews podcast, Carlström said that Froome will head into the Tour as the leader, but the former rider added that Martin's impressive run in the Vuelta gave the team confidence to have options.

"Everything has to fall into place, but I'm still of the opinion that Chris will be the leader of the Tour de France. Some teams have three candidates for leader in the Tour, so it's not bad to have at least two candidates fighting for the podium. It's a good tactic," Karlström said.

After a career-threatening crash at the 2019 Criterium du Dauphiné, Froome is still searching for his best form; he had hoped to race consistently until late 2020 to regain his fitness, but as British teams rallied to defend Egan Bernal's title He was left out of the Ineos Tour de France team as the British team rallied to defend Egan Bernal's title.

Froom announced his departure from Ineos before the Tour, ending his time on Dave Brailsford's team, but he did compete in the Vuelta a España, riding in support of Richard Karapas.

While progress has been made, it is clear that Froome is still far from his previous level, but he used the Vuelta to prepare for the new season, and Carlström is confident that his new contract will allow him to use the winter to make another big step forward.

"I believe that once you reach a certain level, it never goes away. It may take a while to come back, but it's something that's within you. The crash he experienced was really big. It was encouraging to see him getting better in the Vuelta, and now we'll see what happens over the winter and how strong he can get. Even after that, there are still a few more months until the next Grand Tour. I believe he is on the right track."

"I have always said that age is just a number, and that if you are motivated, strong, and can ride well, there is nothing wrong with being 40.

The Israeli Startup Nation has been strengthened in almost every department for the upcoming season. Woods, Froome, Bevin, Daryl Impey, and Carl Fredrik Hagen will add steel and experience to the core of the stage race.

Carlström admits that the team is not leading in any particular discipline when compared to its World Tour rivals, but the team is stepping up in many departments to improve its depth and reach in different forms of racing.

"We are not the strongest team in any one area, and we can strengthen the team in all areas, but at the same time we are at a reasonable level in all areas. We have a pretty decent team for next year.

"In the Vuelta we saw Dan Martín come out on top and finish fourth. When a team works well, supports its riders, and has riders at the right level, anything is possible. That's what happened with Tadej Pogacar, who won the Tour. So everything is possible. [There's Dan Martin and Chris Froome, plus Michael Woods. We have Dan Martin and Chris Froome, plus Michael Woods, and others like Impy and Hagen will play important roles. Of course, as in the last three years of the race, we're a little outnumbered, but that's perfectly OK. That's how we'll do it."

Carlström added that the team decided to turn to Grand Tours and stage races after learning earlier this year that Froome might compete. From that moment on, the team chose to focus more on stage racing instead of developing as a Classics team.

"During the summer we were able to reach an agreement with Chris Froome, which changed the focus of the team a bit. Initially, that was not our first goal. Before that, we were thinking about the young talents that would be on GC and how we could develop them over the next few years, and whether we would focus more on the Flanders Classics or Paris-Roubaix.

"First you talk to people and understand who is available and who is not. It was a reasonably long process. He's one of the most successful big stars of his generation, so you can't sign him overnight. It was an exciting process."