Chris Froome (Team Sky) will race the Giro d’Italia in 2018 as he looks to make history by becoming the first rider to be defending champion of all three Grand Tours simultaneously. An unprecedented feat in the modern era.
The story was leaked in a tweet made by Team Sky‘s component suppliers Shimano, who jumped the gun by confirming that Froome will be taking to the start line in Jerusalem, Israel on Friday 4th May in his first Giro participation since 2010.
Shortly after it was posted, the tweet was deleted by the Japanese brand but it has since been confirmed on Team Sky’s website, with the rider tweeting the news soon after.
The confirmation of Froome’s ride came immediately after the official route of the 2018 Giro d’Italia was confirmed.
Rumours had been sparked regarding Froome’s participation at the race immediately at his victory at this year’s Vuelta a Espana.
Froome himself had earlier expressed interest in the race and even teased onlookers by retweeting the Giro’s official twitter page.
If the four-time Tour de France champion manages to take victory at the 2018 Giro d’Italia, he will become the first rider to hold all the Grand Tour titles concurrently, a feat even the greats such as Eddy Merckx and Bernard Hinault failed to achieve.
The Brit would also join an elite band of just six riders to have won all three Grand Tours.
Presumably, Froome would then attempt the defence of his Tour title, in a bid to become the first rider since Marco Pantani in 1998 to achieve the Giro-Tour double.