Israeli startup Nation has announced the signing of Chris Froome for the 2021 season. The four-time Tour de France winner will sign a "long-term contract" on August 1, ending his career with the team.

The team, which earned WorldTour status in 2020, has been in the news since news broke in May that Froome was discussing a mid-season move.

Froome will share the leadership of Team Ineos at this year's Tour de France with past winners Egan Bernal and Geraint Thomas, but will again be the sole leader at the Israel Start-Up Nation. [It is a historic moment and a very proud moment for ISN (Israel Start-Up Nation), Israel, Israeli sports, the many fans around the world, and of course for me personally," said team co-owner Sylvain Adams.

"I am really excited to join the ISN family. The ISN's impact on the sport is growing rapidly and I am energized to be a part of it. I feel we can accomplish great things together."

The move signals further progress for Israel Start-Up Nation, the ambitious team co-owned by Adams and Ron Baron, which was founded in 2015 as a cycling academy and took over Katusha Alpecin's license After signing a number of big names, including Dan Martin, Andre Greipel, and Nils Pollitt, the team stepped up to the World Tour this year.

It remains to be seen which of them will assist Froome, but the team currently has a number of talented climbers on board, including Martin, Ben Hellmans, James Piccoli, and veteran Dani Navarro. The latter two are currently on one-year contracts.

"Chris is the best rider of his generation and will lead the Tour de France and Grand Tour teams," Adams said. I hope Chris pursues more Tour de France and Grand Tour victories, and together we will make history by accomplishing feats that prove Chris is the greatest cyclist of all time."

The 35-year-old Froome has only competed in one race since suffering a career-threatening crash at the 2019 Criterium du Dauphiné (this year's UAE Tour before the season was interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic).

In April, Froome said he felt his recovery from the crash, which broke his leg, shoulder, elbow, and multiple ribs, was "almost complete."

"We have been looking at several ways to strengthen the team for 2021. Chris Froome, with his impressive palmarès, is the perfect leader to herald our arrival as a serious contender in these races, especially the Tour de France."

"We are very proud of him." Chris has had an extraordinary career and we believe he has both the mindset and physical talent to build on his Grand Tour wins with us."