News: Thomas to Target Tour de France in 2019
Team Sky confirm Geraint Thomas and Chris Froome will focus their 2019 seasons around the Tour de France, with Egan Bernal set to lead his first Grand Tour at the Giro d'Italia.
Defending Tour de France champion Geraint Thomas and Froome, who is targeting a record-equalling fifth Tour title, will take to the start line of the 20190 Tour de France in Brussels on July 6. Bernal, who enjoyed a revelatory first season at WorldTour level, will lead the team at the Giro, starting in Bologna on May 11.
Thomas talking about targeting the Tour in 2019, as well as eyeing the time trial World Championships, which are being held on British soil in Yorkshire says "The main goal for me will be to go back to the Tour de France for the best result I can. Maybe if I hadn't have won the Tour in 2018 I might have looked at a Giro/Vuelta programme but, having won the Tour, I'll have the number one on my back and it would be sad not to go back and not to go back at 100% as well.
"The year will be geared around that, but I'm also looking forward to a slightly different programme as well, and obviously after the Tour, the Worlds in Yorkshire will be massive. "I think the time trial will be my best chance of getting something out of it. It will be a good goal to have for the end of the year. I certainly want to be there because the support in the UK and in Yorkshire especially is just unbelievable at the moment. They're going to be a massive Worlds and it will be great to be a part of that."
Explaining his decision to target the Tour, Froome said: "It's been a hard decision to figure out exactly what to do in 2019 and figure out which Grand Tours to focus on, especially having won the Giro last year and having had such an amazing time out there with the team – but for 2019, my number one objective is going to be the Tour de France. It was definitely a difficult decision not to go back to the Giro d'Italia and defend the maglia rosa. I've got some amazing memories from last year, but I think, with the Tour de France as my main objective, it's probably better that I skip the Giro d'Italia in 2019.
"I'm getting to the point in my career now where I'm starting to think about what kind of legacy I want to leave behind and if I am able to win the Tour de France for a fifth time and join that very elite group of bike riders – only four other people have ever done that – it would just be incredible."
Bernal, 21, is excited about tackling the Giro for the first time – a race close to his heart. He said: "The Giro is a race that I really, really like. I lived in Italy for three years, so I have a lot of friends there and I really like the Italian fans. I know the roads, I really like the Giro, and I want to do a good race there."
And the Colombian will start his season on home soil, as defending champion at the Tour Colombia. "I'm really excited to do the Tour Colombia. It will be the first race with Froomey there so we want to do it well! It's at home and I want to do a good race for the fans, for my family, and for Colombia. It's incredible how the fans support us and it's right at home. It will be good."
Tags: Team News
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