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LONDON. — Defending champion Chris Froome will lead Team Sky’s challenge for a third consecutive Tour de France crown but 2012 winner and fellow Briton Bradley Wiggins will not be part of the nine-man team named yesterday.
Wiggins had been widely tipped to miss selection in the squad and all but confirmed the decision after winning the British time-trial title on Thursday.
Froome’s main support will be Australia’s Richie Porte, while the road captain will be Bernhard Eisel from Austria.

“Team Sky returns to the Tour de France with the reigning champion and we are looking to win the yellow jersey for the third time in three years and a second consecutive time for Chris Froome,” Sky principal Dave Brailsford said in a statement.”

“Defending champion Chris Froome is an exceptional talent, a brilliant stage racer, and he’ll lead the team. It has been a golden decade for cycling. Bradley Wiggins lies at the heart of a lot of that success, and although he has not been selected for this race he is still a key member of Team Sky and a great champion.”
The Tour begins in Leeds on July 5 and reaches France on July 8.

TEAM SKY: Chris Froome, Richie Porte, Geraint Thomas, Mikel Nieve, Bernhard Eisel, Vasil Kiryienka, David Lopez, Danny Pate, Xabier Zandio. —  SuperSport.