Kenyan born rider in Paris for the route unveiling
After the unveiling of the route for the 100th Tour de France in Paris this morning, this year’s runner up Chris Froome will be increasingly determined to shine there next year. He gave up his personal ambitions this year in order to help his Sky team-mate Bradley Wiggins, but appeared to be the stronger climber.
With next year’s race featuring fewer time trial kilometres and four summit finishes, he will fancy his chances. There has been talk that Bradley Wiggins might pass up team leadership in order to try to win a different Grand Tour; Froome hopes that he will get the opportunity to play his own cards this time round, and will relish finishes such as Mont Ventoux, Alpe d’Huez and more.
“I do not know yet if I will be able to ride two big tours. I will only be able to seek one win and I have the Tour (de France) in mind,” he told the Daily Telegraph prior to the presentation.
“I think Bradley could be the leader on the Giro d’Italia and me on the Tour. But we still have to wait for next year’s programmes and talk about this with the managers.”
Although organisers ASO would want the defending champion on the start line, Wiggins has suggested today that he could well target the Giro and then help Froome in the Tour.
Team Sky recently made its general classification ambitions clear when it allowed sprinter Mark Cavendish to leave after only completing one year out of his three-year deal.