Cycling: Froome keen to attempt rare double

Chris Froome says he could happily rest for a while but a climber-friendly worlds course is irresistible. Photo / AP

Tour de France winner says he's hungry enough to chase world title for his cabinet.

Chris Froome has revealed that he wants to follow his historic Tour triumph by adding the world champion's rainbow jersey to his yellow jersey.

As his Team Sky principal, Sir Dave Brailsford, tipped him to become a "multiple Grand Tour champion" and hailed him for the way he had handled the "completely unacceptable" accusations of doping over the past three weeks, the tireless Froome was already plotting his next great quest, the World Road Race Championship in Florence in September.

Froome's burning ambition will push him on to prepare assiduously to complete the rare Tour-world championship double, only achieved half a dozen times.

"My focus has just been on the Tour up until now but being world champion, that's probably the second biggest thing after wearing the yellow jersey. It would be amazing, a fantastic achievement," said Froome, who will be seeking to become the first-ever Briton to achieve the feat. "I'd love to just fly home and switch off for a few months but the opportunities to compete in a world championship which suits climbers don't come around very often, so I think I've got to make the most of that."

For Froome to emulate Tommy Simpson and Mark Cavendish as the only British world road race champions, he will face a battle royal in the hills with the Italian Vincenzo Nibali, the Giro d'Italia winner who bypassed the Tour to concentrate all his ambitions on winning a world title at home. Nibali is still the only man to have beaten Froome in any stage race this year, the Tirreno-Adriatico.

Froome, though, has ruled out the possibility of taking on Sir Bradley Wiggins in the World Time Trial Championship in the same week.

"I used to live not far from there and it's very flat. That means it would suit guys like Tony Martin [the reigning champion] and Brad a lot better than me so I think I would focus my energy on the road race," he said.

Brailsford believes a double British triumph at the worlds is possible. "He's Sir Bradley Wiggins for a good reason, with a character and a personality that makes him very, very special," said Brailsford. "And Chris Froome is Chris Froome, with a character and personality that makes him very, very special as well. There's no need to compare. And we should embrace both of them, and see absolutely how lucky we are to have the both of them."

Like Wiggins, Froome had to put up with a host of doping questions during the Tour. "For someone to be accused of being a cheat with the venom that he has at times I think is completely unacceptable," said Brailsford. "The way he has dealt with that has been absolutely first-class. He hasn't snapped, he has been patient and tolerant. He will be a lot more experienced, wiser and more robust for this experience. I think he has all the making, all the ingredients of a multiple champion."

Froome will make no predictions about whether his will be a long-term domination, like that of Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault and Miguel Indurain, who all joined him in Paris.

"As long as I'm hungry for it and have the motivation and physical ability I'll go for multiple titles."

Tour winners
Overall: Chris Froome (GBR/ Sky)
Points: Peter Sagan (Slovakia/
CAN)
King of the Mountains: Nairo
Quintana (Colombia/ MOV)
Best Young Rider: Quintana