Thursday 14 January 2016 09:42, UK
Team Sky principal Sir Dave Brailsford has described Chris Froome’s ambition to win the Tour de France and both the Olympic road race and time trial as a “big challenge” but “doable”.
No rider has won all three in a single season, but with the Tour set to be his main goal of 2016 and the two Olympic races taking place on hilly courses that suit his style, Froome believes he can make history.
The 30-year-old proved his ability to maintain form through the summer by finishing second at the Tour and third in the Olympic time trial in 2012, races both won by Sir Bradley Wiggins.
But Brailsford thinks adding the road race into the equation makes it a far more difficult goal.
Speaking at Team Sky's winter training camp in Mallorca, he said: "It's a challenge. It's certainly possible. We saw that Bradley did that in 2012 by winning the individual time trial.
"It's a different continent and a different time zone, and it's a different course, as well. Is it doable? Yes, but it's a big challenge."
One aspect working in Froome's favour is that the courses for the Tour and Olympics appear to complement each other well, particularly the fact the Tour contains two hilly time trials.
Brailsford added: "It all fits. It's not as if you need one type of fitness or skill to win the Tour and then something totally different for the Olympics.
"The trick would be to focus on the Tour first, and not think about the Olympics. Do the Tour, and then come up and do the Olympics. If you start having one eye on the Olympics while you're still in the Tour, I don't think that will work."
Froome will follow a light racing schedule in the first half of the year in order to remain fresh for his Tour-Olympics challenge in July and August.
Should he return from Rio with energy left over, Brailsford is not ruling out the Briton also riding the Vuelta a Espana, which starts 10 days after the Olympic time trial.
Froome attempted to win the Vuelta last year in the wake of his Tour success but, just as he appeared to be growing in stature in the race, he crashed out on stage 11.
Brailsford said: "He would have gone really close last year in the Vuelta, had he not crashed. It's an easy thing to say, but I think he would.
"The Tour-Vuelta, in terms of consecutive Grand Tours, is easier than the Giro-Tour."
