Chris Froome plans quiet Vuelta a Espana start with strong finish
By Mike Patterson
Last Updated: 20/08/16 12:35pm
Chris Froome is preparing for a low-key opening week in the Vuelta a Espana which gets under way in Ourense on Saturday.
The Team Sky leader is bidding to become only the third rider in history to win the Tour de France and the Vuelta in the same season after Jacques Anquetil in 1963 and Bernard Hinault in 1978.
However, he is also one of the few riders that will arrive on the start line after competing in both the Tour de France and the Olympics in Brazil where he won a bronze medal in the individual time trial.
"I'm going to see how the first week goes to hopefully try to build through the Vuelta and be stronger towards the end," said Froome.
"Obviously the condition is not the same as in the beginning of the Tour de France, but we'll see how it goes in the second half.
"It's definitely going to be a very tough Vuelta - if there is such a thing as an easy Vuelta - with 10 uphill finishes. It's going to test us.
"Obviously after the Tour I haven't trained specifically for the Vuelta, I tried to recover as best as I could between the Tour and the Olympics and the same thing coming here. It's going to be interesting to see what the form is."
The Briton, who has "unfinished business" with the Vuelta after finishing second in 2011 and 2014, will also draw on some of his past experience in Spain.
"I did the same in 2012 and I ended up finishing fourth," he said.
"But it's tough for sure. Let's see. I'm definitely going to try to stay out of trouble in the first week and see how it goes.
"But I'm here, I'm motivated, I'm happy, I have a great team around me and I look forward to doing the best race possible."
Froome relied less on his climbing and time-trialling abilities and opted for more improvisation during his Tour de France success in July and he does not rule out the same approach on this Vuelta.
"Every year I'm learning more and more," he said. "I came into the sport quite late. We're really going to take it one day at a time.
"The descent on the Tour, for example, was not something I planned before the Tour. We saw an opportunity and took it. We have to see how the race unfolds here and probably try to do the same."
