Just days after winning his fourth Tour de France, Chris Froome has confirmed that he will compete in the 2017 Vuelta a España as he looks to complete a historic Tour/Vuelta double.
No rider has won the Tour and the Vuelta in the same year since the latter moved to its current August/September slot in 1995, with Froome finishing second on three occasions, including after winning the Tour in 2016.
>>> Vuelta a España route 2017: key climbs and what to expect
"The Vuelta is a race I love racing. It’s a vicious race but it’s three weeks that I enjoy," Froome said in an interview with Sky Sports.
"I’ve come second three times now and I’d love to win the Vuelta. To win the Tour and the Vuelta in one year would be absolutely incredible. I’ve got that opportunity now and I’m certainly going to go for it."
Froome will face many of the same riders who he beat to the yellow jersey in July, with Romain Bardet, Fabio Aru, and Alberto Contador all expected to be on the start line, as well as high calibre riders who skipped the Tour such as Vincenzo Nibali.
>>> Who will be riding the 2017 Vuelta a España?
The Team Sky rider has come close to winning the Vuelta on three occasions, his nearest miss coming in 2011 when he finished just 13 seconds behind Juan José Cobo after spending much of the race working for team-mate Bradley Wiggins. He also finished second to Alberto Contador in 2014 and Nairo Quintana in 2016.
The Vuelta a España starts in the French city of Nîmes on August 19, finishing three weeks later on September 10 in Madrid.
Thank you for reading 5 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access
Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription
Join now for unlimited access
Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
-
-
'Shocked and saddened': Tour de France organiser sends condolences after Copenhagen shooting
Several people were killed in the Copenhagen mall shooting
-
Tour de France packs up for the long drive home
Race waves goodbye to Denmark and gets ready to move everything to Calais for race restart on Tuesday
-
'I'm trying to get back to my old self again' — Chris Froome achieves his best result since 2019 horror crash
Chris Froome finished 11th at the Mercan Tour Classic Alpes-Maritimes on Tuesday, his best result for almost three years
-
Chris Froome: Being competitive at Tour de France would be a 'dream scenario'
The Israel-Premier Tech rider on being back at his normal level, appreciating his past, and aiming to have form late into the season
-
Chris Froome set for 2022 race debut in Italy
The four-time Tour de France winner will return to racing at the Coppi e Bartali next week
-
Chris Froome claims 'racing has become more dangerous' due to 'abundance of data'
The Israel-Premier Tech rider suggests cycling performance has drastically improved since he became a professional, but not necessarily for the best
-
Chris Froome says time trials should be raced on road bikes to improve safety
The four-time Tour de France champion gives his thoughts in light of Egan Bernal's recent training crash
-
'We need to see results from him': Israel-Start Up Nation expect Chris Froome's form to improve as they target a place among the super-teams
The four-time Tour winner will have to prove his form if he wants to be on the startline of the 2022 edition
-
Star-studded field set to ride the Deutschland Tour 2021
The German race has attracted a large amount of big-name riders who aren't riding the Vuelta a España
-
Chris Froome set to miss Vuelta a España, according to reports
The seven-time Grand Tour winner battled through the Tour de France despite an early crash
