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news
chris-froome-tour-de-france-and-vuelta-winners-jerseys.jpgGiro 2018: Froome confirms participation
Chris Froome is indeed going to try and win next year’s Giro d’Italia ahead of his far more predictable appearance in the Tour de France.
There have been a number of reports suggesting that Froome will ride the Giro next year. After taking last year’s Tour de France and Vuelta a Espana, victory in Italy would mean he was the current champion in all three Grand Tours.
Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf reported on Monday that a source within organisers RCS had confirmed Froome’s entry to them and The Telegraph subsequently claimed that his Giro participation was due to be confirmed this week, sources close to Team Sky having told the newspaper that he was “90 per cent sure” to take part.
Questioned about these claims by Fairfax Media, Froome himself said they were nothing more than speculation: "I haven't even confirmed my own programme yet so I don't know how other people know that before me."
However, his claims that an upcoming training camp in Spain was when the decision would finally be made were not entirely truthful.
Yes, I am racing the 2018 @giroditalia @TeamSky #Giro101
— Chris Froome (@chrisfroome) November 29, 2017
Former rival Alberto Contador certainly thinks that Froome has it in him to win in Italy, reports Sport 24.
"He's an extremely strong rider and I see him perfectly capable of winning the Giro," said the Spaniard. "He has a very strong team that can support him perfectly, whether it's on the Giro or on the Tour."
Alberto Contador has 40-odd bikes and keeps them in "a kind of museum”
Froome has also restated his belief that he is still improving as a rider.
"I feel as if year on year, I'm still learning more and more about myself, learning more and more about the sport," he said. "Just small knowhow parts of our sport that only come with making those errors yourself and being out on the road yourself. I still feel that every year I'm building that bank of knowledge and still improving as a rider.
"For example in the last couple of years, something I've really worked on is my descending. That's shown in races these last couple of years."
The 2018 Giro d’Italia route will be officially announced later today.
Alex has written for more cricket publications than the rest of the road.cc team combined. Despite the apparent evidence of this picture, he doesn't especially like cake.
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20 comments
I shall always remember Chris Froome as the cyclist that broke the boycott of Trump's favorite state: Israel.
I wish him well. One thing is for sure he won’t be doing the Vuelta as well. Should he succeed with the Giro then imagine the financial leverage he willl have for 2019, as whichever he chooses could likey be perceived as the better.
Rapha, I've yet to make the switch to rowing.
I'm not sure why you'd blame the team that are dominating, blame Quintana for not attacking, or Bardet for being amateur when it comes to TTs. Also, if they're so dominant, why didn't they win the Giro last year or the year before, or all the classics? You have to recognise Froome's ability and the fact that Sky can set a better plan for a GT than the others...
Quintana can't attack 5 of the 10 best climbers in the world doing 7w/kg up a steady 30 minute climb. No one can.
Sky's plan (less cynical, TUE-exclusive version) consists of having more money than everyone else and hiring the best guys to ride on the front up French 7% climbs for 3 weeks. It's effective but let's not make out like it's some genius plan.
The reason they haven't won the Giro is because it's more of a racer's race than a scales and power meter at the start line job. Hence why Contador, Rigo and Nibali and others with a bit more of a brain and a penchant for putting on a show have more of a shot than they do at the TdF.
With a million euro maybe 2 appearance fee he'll start but as a podcast I was listening to said, it's to start, not to finish.
Agree Jimmy, think he'll rest up and then go to the Giro slightly under as per the TDF this year. This has the potential for him to get blown away but also the option to quit a week or two in. Tour legs may be in trouble whatever he tries but as Pete says, if any team can come up with a plan then it's Sky.
From a publicity and personal point of view though I think it's an awesome decision and we'll only know the cleverness of it next July... Actually scrub that, if he takes the Giro and not the TDF then that's still awesome!
Should make for a exciting Tour de France if he makes a full attempt at the Giro and any if the rivals miss the Giro.
Should mean they are a little fresher for the Tour so hopefully more competitive than recent times.
I can't see him succeeding.
I'd like to though.
He will be making the same mistake as Quintana did this year. The Giro / Tour double is a brutal challenge in its own right, but when you factor in that he's coming off a Tour / Vuelta double, its a different proposition altogether.
This year, Froome was a little under for the Tour, which I believe was a deliberate approach to have more left for the Vuelta. I think its a tall order to recover enough from the Vuelta, and then build suitably for Giro without peaking.
He'll either come into the Giro under prepped and not quite have enough, or he'll come in over prepped and pop sometime between the last week of the Giro / second week of the Tour.
I think that with the full strength of the sky team behind this and the gazillions of squids paying top coaches, if 'anyone' can do it Froome & Sky can.
I'm pretty sure he can recover from an event he did over half a year ago.
But its not about recovering... well it is, but its about fully recovering, then building the condition back up, then clearing the fatigue from that conditioning in time for your peak. Get in any way wrong adn your are going to come into your target event flat and missing the 'ping' that wins races... see Quintana as a prime example.
I think the Giro is doable.
From what I've seen of the course I think it looks good for him coming in under, sitting in the pack in Israel and getting into it in week 2, which is how he likes it. The climbs and TTs seem to ramp up nicely for him to find form... I think they'll be kicking themselves if Sky can't get him there in decent form.
Whether he's still got a TdF in July following that, hmmmm... It'd be massive if he did.
The Giro will be better for this. Even if it isn't then it has the potential to make the TDF more so.
You sad pair of twats. The best grand tour racer for decades puts a TDF at risk to hold all 3 jerseys, amazingly brave decision!
Sorry mate, did we put you off your stroke?
No denying that it's a brave decision but Sky sat on the front for every Grand Tour brings me to tears of boredom.
Oh will you two just grow up ?
Oh, great, Team Sky making another Grand Tour a 3 week snooze fest.
Bring on the Classics then count me out for the rest of the season.
Juice up.
I think it's mental, he surely can't hold form for both the Giro and the Tour.. not at this extreme pointy end of the sport.
Even with two seperate groups of top teams around him it seems a bit of an ask. Look how close this years tour was.. Uran was 54 seconds behind Froome this year.. Quintana was nowhere near when he tried it.. Contador suffered a load of crashes when he tried it in 2015..
Maybe he'll just go there as support or as as backup plan, maybe...
Geraint as plan A, perhaps?