Froome and Van den Broeck to ride the Vuelta

Two of the first four finishers in the Tour de France, Britain's Chris Froome (Sky) and Belgium's Jurgen Van den Broeck (Lotto), are to ride in the forthcoming Tour of Spain. Froome, second behind his compatriot Bradley Wiggins on Sunday, and Van den Broeck, fourth in the final overall classification, will be up against the Tour's major absentee, Spain's Alberto Contador, as he returns from suspension. Last year, Froome came second in the Vuelta, 13 seconds behind Spain's Juan Jose Cobo, who has also announced his intention to be on the starting line in Pamplona on August 18. In Spain, the Kenya-born Briton will be Sky's team leader on a course that has six altitude finishes. "The Vuelta will be an ideal finish for my season," added Van den Broeck, who last year finished eighth overall.