Following the announcement of the Giro d'Italia 2018 route on Wednesday, Chris Froome may not be the only rider going for the Giro d'Italia/Tour de France double in 2018, with French rider Thibaut Pinot thinking about joining him.
After weeks of speculation, Froome confirmed that he would take part in the 2018 Giro through a video played at the route presentation, and could now be joined by Pinot after he said that he liked the look of the route.
"It's a great course," Pinot told Ouest France. "After leaving Israel, it goes straight to the medium and high mountain stages. And at the end, the last two or three mountain stages are pretty spectacular.
"There are eight summit finishes, which is the average for the Giro, and that's a good thing. Those are the stages that suit me, and when you have eight, you can go for the victory in at least one or two."
Watch: Tour de France 2018 route guide
Pinot rode the Giro for the first time in 2017, finishing in fourth place having only dropped out of the podium positions in the final time trial into Milan. He then travelled to the Tour de France saying that he wasn't targetting the general classification, eventually abandoning the race on stage 17.
The Frenchman had been expected to concentrate solely on his home Grand Tour in 2018, but said that after enjoying his time in Italy in 2017, and seeing the route of next year's race, he might be tempted to target both.
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"It was love at first sight [riding the Giro in 2017]," Pinot continued. "I expected it because I ride a lot in Italy and I still like it."
"Ever since I was a junior, I've always loved ride there. I kept this bond, and the Giro did not disappoint me last year. On the contrary.
"I would really like to take part in the Giro, especially after seeing the route. We will have to wait for the training camp with my team in Calpe in December to talk about it.
"If I do go for the Giro/Tour double then I want to go to the Tour in better shape than I did last year. You have to learn from your mistakes, and I made a few this year. If I go back to the Tour in July then I will be in better condition."
