Team Sky has announced its nine man line-up for the 69th edition of the Vuelta a España, which starts on August, 23. Chris Froome, who was forced to abandon the Tour de France last month, will lead the team, which will comprise Kanstantsin Siutsou, Luke Rowe (the team’s youngest rider, 24), Mikel Nieve, Christian Knees, Philip Deignan, Vasil Kiryienka, Peter Kennaugh and Dario Cataldo.
Confirming the Vuelta a España line-up, Team Sky Principal Sir Dave Brailsford said: ‘This year’s Vuelta is a great opportunity for us to get back to Grand Tour racing and I’m delighted that we’ll go there with a strong team that’s very capable of performing well… Chris Froome will be our team leader and it’s great to have him back on the bike and focused on the challenge ahead. He was obviously very disappointed after having to withdraw from the Tour de France but Chris has recovered and trained well since the injury. He’s now more determined than ever to get back to what he does best – riding Grand Tours.’
Froome adds: ‘This is exactly the sort of challenge that I need after the disappointment of withdrawing from the Tour de France. You can’t dwell on disappointment, you have to move on quickly to next thing and the Vuelta has become the perfect race for me to focus on. I’ve always really enjoyed racing at the Vuelta, it’s a tough race but a great opportunity for the whole team.’
More on Team Sky at teamsky.com and on the Vuelta at lavuelta.com
