Michael Woods and Chris Froome left the final week of the Tour de France due to COVID-19, but returned as the stars of Israeli premier tech at the Vuelta a España.

Woods rode 20 stages in France, but tested positive for a virus before the final stage to Paris.

After 17 stages in France, Froome revealed that he was severely affected by COVID, but his third-place finish in the Tour's Alpe d'Huez stage suggested that he had made a long-awaited comeback.

The two are big names in Israel's premier tech Vuelta, including sprinter Itamar Einhorn, Daryl Impey, Patrick Bevin, Carl Fredrik Hagen, Alessandro de Marchi, and Omer Goldstein. Promising stage-hunting athletes included.

"I've been feeling pretty good since taking Covid and it didn't affect me that long, but I definitely needed some rest because it took me quite a while to recover from the crash I suffered on stage 9 of the Tour de France," Woods said.

"After two weeks of solid training, I felt like my old self on the bike and was able to finish a good training block in Andorra.

Woods has a strong relationship with the Vuelta, starting his competitive career as a runner before breaking out as a cyclist and finishing seventh overall in 2017. Since then, he has won stages in the 2018 and 2020 editions, and while he has seemed to stay away from riding in overall contention in the Grand Tours, the team has set its sights on a top 10 finish in this year's Vuelta.

"Of all the Grand Tours, I think the Vuelta suits me best," said Woods, who will love the typically punchy course, even if the team time trial on stage 10 and the 30km individual time trial are hurdles.

"I'm excited to be back on GC, especially in a race where I've had success in the past. I won my first World Tour race in the Vuelta and it's a race that has always been close to my heart."

Meanwhile, a "free card" is in store for Froome: the two-time Vuelta champion has been on a long comeback trail since a career-threatening crash in 2019, but finally began to show flashes of form this summer, and his runaway win in Alpe d'Huez was his three-year His runaway win in Alpe d'Huez was his best performance in three years.

The Vuelta was supposed to be the next step in rediscovering his former level, but after COVID-19 was a major setback, it remains to be seen if he can set off breakaway fireworks in the mountains.

"COVID took more of a hit than I expected, but I am now fully recovered and back to my normal training load," Froome said.

"My preparation for the Vuelta was not as good as I had hoped this year, but I'm really looking forward to making the most of the race and helping Israel Premier Tech to another successful Grand Tour.

The Vuelta will begin on Friday with a team time trial in Utrecht, Holland, and will finish in Madrid on September 11.

Israeli premier tech in the Vuelta a España [29].