Froome: Nibali's My Biggest Rival For Vuelta

Tour champ weighs up the competition as he prepares for Grand Tour double.

- Vern Pitt

Sky captain Chris Froome has said Italian Vincenzo Nibali will be his biggest rival for the Vuelta a España title when the race starts this weekend.

When Froome lines up he will be attempting to rack up a historic double by backing up his Tour de France win with victory at the Vuelta, something no one has done since the Spanish race moved to its late-August slot in 1995.

Speaking to Cycling Weekly from his training bass in Isola in the Alps, Froome said the Bahrain-Merida rider, who finished third at the Giro, would be a serious threat. “Not to take anything away from any of my other rivals, but I think Vincenzo Nibali [will be my biggest rival] given his freshness and that things didn’t go as he would have liked in the Giro,” Froome said.

“I imagine his motivation levels will be second to none right now.”