Tour de France champion Froome to race in London

LONDON: Tour de France champion Chris Froome will make his RideLondon-Surrey Classic debut next Sunday before heading out to the Rio Olympics, race organisers confirmed on Monday.

The 31-year-old clinched his third Tour de France victory on Sunday to become the first rider to defend his title since Spain’s Miguel Indurain won the last of his five consecutive crowns in 1995. The Briton won his first Tour in 2013. Froome will headline a Team Sky squad which includes Geraint Thomas, Ian Stannard, Ben Swift, Christian Knees and Dutch sprinter Danny van Poppel in the world’s richest one-day race over a 200 km route on the roads of London and Surrey.

“We are thrilled to have Tour de France champion Chris Froome riding for Team Sky at this year’s RideLondon-Surrey Classic,” race director Mick Bennett said in a statement.