Froome is looking ahead to tough Tour

CHRIS Froome will target victory in next year’s Tour de France after watching organisers announce one of the toughest routes in recent history.

The four-time Tour winner was in Paris as a route was unveiled which visits all five mountain ranges in France, with the serious climbing starting as early as stage two and spread throughout in a move designed to encourage attacking racing.

There are only 36 kilometres of time-trialling in the 3,470km total distance, all on the penultimate stage as the battle for yellow is set to be decided against the clock on the climb to La Planche des Belles Filles.

Froome was quick to note the lack of timetrialling in a route which may well be more suited to his Ineos team-mate and defending champion

Egan Bernal but he said it was a challenge he would relish.

“I think it’s a brutal Tour, probably the hardest I’ve seen in the last five or six years at least,” he said.

“It’s great. There’s loads of opportunities for the general classification to play out and the main rivals to go head-to-head. That’s what everyone wants to see. It should be an exciting race. Hopefully, it will live up to the same standards as this year.

“There are no guarantees in sport but I’m going to give it everything I have.”

The 34-year-old missed this year’s Tour after suffering huge injuries in a high-speed crash at the Criterium du Dauphine in June but he is ahead of schedule in his recovery and plans to compete in the Saitama Criterium, an exhibition event, later this month.

“Given the injuries I’ve had I think a lot of people would have seen that as a career-ending crash,” he said.

“I’m extremely lucky to be where I am now. I just see it as such an amazing opportunity that I have ahead of me now, that we’re even talking about coming back for next year.

“I’ve still got a big plate on my hip. Hopefully, at the end of this month, that will be removed.

“From that moment on, hopefully, things should start to improve even more.”