Chris Froome confirms he will ride the Vuelta a España

Chris Froome took to Instragram to confirm he will ride the Vuelta a España, where he finished second last year. This followed news earlier in the day that he'd been named on the Team Sky long-list for the Grand Tour.

Teams are required to submit a provisional 14-rider long-list for the race which can be changed two days ahead of the race start when the team is whittled down to nine, and Tour de France 2015 winner Froome has been listed by the British squad. Geraint Thomas could also feature for Sky after a strong showing at the Tour.

Last week Froome suggested he would decide within a week or so whether or not he would launch a bid for a second Grand Tour victory in the same year, with Team Sky likely to announce their finalised squad some time next week.

Froome will be facing some tough competition at the Vuelta this year, with the likes of Nairo Quintana (Movistar), Vincenzo Nibali (Astana) and Tejay van Garderen (BMC) all confirmed to race the Spanish tour.

Defending champion Alberto Contador (Tinkoff-Saxo) will not be taking to the start in Puerto Banus on August 22, having already competed in both the Giro d'Italia and the Tour de France this year.

Contador's teammate Peter Sagan is likely to take part, while 2009 winner Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) will also ride alongside his Colombian teammate Quintana.

Chris Froome's Tour de France bike