Froome to start 2016 season at the Herald Sun Tour
Chris Froome will begin his competitive build-up to the Tour de France with an appearance at the Herald Sun Tour
Team Sky have revealed that Chris Froome will kick off his 2016 racing season at the Herald Sun Tour in Australia, from February 3 to 7.
Froome has visited the Herald Sun Tour previously when he raced for Barloworld in 2008. Eight years later it will be the starting point for a season that he is hoping to make his most successful yet.
As always, Froome's gaze will be firmly set on the Tour de France in July, where he will line up as defending champion.
The British rider will also be aiming to keep his form further into the summer with a tilt at the Olympics road race and time trial.
This would be an unprecedented triple as no rider has ever won all three - Tour, Olympics RR, Olympics TT - let alone in the same year.
Froome has previous experience of such a challenge when he rode to a bronze medal behind Sir Bradley Wiggins in the 2012 Olympics TT and was present in a support capacity for Mark Cavendish's ultimately doomed road race.
>>> Quintana and Froome set to renew rivalry in 2016 as Colombian targets Tour and Olympics
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
On the Herald Sun Tour, Froome said: "I'm really pleased to start my 2016 season at the Jayco Herald Sun Tour. Victoria is a beautiful part of the world and racing in the warm climate will give me a good platform for the new season.
"We don't often get a chance to race in front of our Aussie fans so we're all looking forward to seeing them over there as well."
Thank you for reading 20 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
Jack Elton-Walters hails from the Isle of Wight, and would be quick to tell anyone that it's his favourite place to ride. He has covered a varied range of topics for Cycling Weekly, producing articles focusing on tech, professional racing and cycling culture. He moved on to work for Cyclist Magazine in 2017 where he stayed for four years until going freelance. He now returns to Cycling Weekly from time-to-time to cover racing, review cycling gear and write longer features for print and online.
-
Freezing, wet and freezing, and non-existent: when cycling's weather gods don't play ball
This year's Flèche Wallonne was tough – but there are others to match it
By James Shrubsall Published
-
Are pockets on the Specialized Men's Prime SWAT Bib Shorts worth parting with extra cash? Perhaps
Pockets come at a premium, but these are a treat to wear if they meet your budget
By Sam Jones Published
-
Bullying isn't allowed in other workplaces, professional sport should be no different
Comments about Julian Alaphilippe are just the latest in a long line of examples of bosses in sport going too far
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
‘I feel lucky to be alive’: Magnus Sheffield speaks for the first time about Gino Mäder’s fatal crash
The American describes what he saw at the Tour de Suisse, eight months after the tragedy
By Tom Davidson Published
-
Tom Pidcock: Tour of Britain route 'not really ideal for me'
Brit says he wants to win home stage race, even if the course plays in Wout van Aert's favour
By Tom Davidson Published
-
This 39-year-old INEOS Grenadiers rider moonlights as a pro triathlete
A Jack of all trades, Cameron Wurf is a domestique for INEOS Grenadiers professional cycling team, but doubles as a successful pro triathlete.
By Kristin Jenny Published
-
Ineos Grenadiers' only female rider Pauline Ferrand-Prévot eyes road return
Mountain bike legend could be back in the peloton next year
By Tom Davidson Published
-
CW Live: Chris Froome targets return to 'top level'; UCI tightens ITT rules; Strava responds to price hike criticism; Topless protesters arrested at TDU; Tributes paid to Lieuwe Westra; Scott recalls 'cracking' bikes; Toon Aerts the PE teacher
The latest news in the world of cycling
By Tom Davidson Last updated
-
CW LIVE: Wout van Aert and Shirin van Anrooij win cyclo-cross in Koksijde; Rapha unveil EF Education kits; Police search for two suspects in Mark Cavendish robbery; Paris-Nice route announced; Chris Froome and Geraint Thomas to ride Tour Down Under
All the latest in the world of cycling
By Tom Davidson Last updated
-
Egan Bernal has nose operation to help 'air passage' ahead of 2023
Procedure not thought to be connected to the life-threatening crash which affected Colombian last year
By Adam Becket Published