Chris Froome (Team Sky) says the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo as his goal after conquering all three Grand Tours in cycling.
The Brit is starting his 2019 season at the Tour Colombia next week with the Tour de France as his aim later in the summer. However, he is already thinking long-term with a climber-friendly road race in Tokyo.
"The Tokyo Games in 2020," Froome told La Gazzetta dello Sport when asked if he had a dream beyond the Grand Tours.
"That will be my goal, but I have to be realistic, I've never achieved great results in one-day races. I'll have to change something in the preparation and the strategy."
The Mount Fuji road race on July 25 covers 234 kilometres. There are five significant climbs, but the Mikuni Pass at 34km to race could decide the race. The 6.8km climb averages 10.2 per cent and touches 12.6 per cent to reach 1,159 metres.
Froome is aiming for a fifth Tour title in 2019 (Sunada)
(Image credit: Yuzuru Sunada)
Froome has dominated in Grand Tours in recent years – winning the Tour de France four times, the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a España once each – but has never won a one-day race. The closest he came was a stage ranked as an individual race in the 2009 Giro del Capo.
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Next summer, Great Britain will have to choose from riders like Froome, Geraint Thomas, and Adam and Simon Yates.
Froome confirmed that he will not race any one-day races heading towards the Tour de France this summer. His schedule: the Tour Colombia, the UAE Tour, the Volta a Catalunya, the Tour de Yorkshire and the Critérium du Dauphiné.
He plans to race the World Championships road race in Yorkshire in September in support of his British team-mates.
"I have to say that the road race does not suit me, it's great for Peter Sagan, and for fast riders in general," Froome said
"But I want to be in great shape to make myself available to those who will be chosen as captain for Great Britain."
Froome is building to become the one of the Tour's greatest riders. If he wins a fifth time, he will match the all time record held by Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault and Miguel Indurain.
Team management meanwhile is searching to replace Sky media group, which announced over the winter that it would end its sponsorship after the 2019 season. A decision on the team's future is due before the Tour.
"In sport, and therefore in cycling, nothing is guaranteed," Froome continued. "But I have great confidence in the management of the Sky team, so I think we will find another partner to be able to continue at a high level."
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Gregor Brown is an experienced cycling journalist, based in Florence, Italy. He has covered races all over the world for over a decade - following the Giro, Tour de France, and every major race since 2006. His love of cycling began with freestyle and BMX, before the 1998 Tour de France led him to a deep appreciation of the road racing season.
