TEAM Sky have announced the news that four-time Tour de France winner Chris Froome has set his sights on riding this year’s Tour de Yorkshire.

The six-time Grand Tour Champion, who is eyeing up a fifth Tour de France title, has announced his race calendar for the year and high on his agenda is a return to Yorkshire.

The 33-year-old Froome enthused: "Yorkshire hosted the start of the Tour de France a few years ago and the atmosphere was just incredible. The Tour de Yorkshire has been growing year on year and I’d love to get out there this year."

The team also revealed Froome hopes to be a part of the UCI Road World Championships in Yorkshire this September, where he will race for Great Britain, along with the reigning Tour de France Champion Geraint Thomas.

Thomas, who is a year younger than Froome at 32, said: "Looking at the course for the Worlds in Yorkshire, I think the Men’s Elite Individual Time Trial will be my best chance of getting a title.

"It’ll be a good goal to have for the end of the year. I certainly want to be there because the support in Yorkshire is unbelievable. I think it’s going to be a massive World Championships and I want to be a part of it."

Sir Gary Verity, Chief Executive of Welcome to Yorkshire said: "Both Chris and Geraint raced in Yorkshire when we hosted the Grand Depart of the Tour de France in 2014 so have first-hand experience of the incredible crowds and carnival atmosphere here in Yorkshire.

"They will be guaranteed the hugest of Yorkshire welcomes for the Tour de Yorkshire and the UCI Road World Championships and we can’t wait to see them race on our county’s roads."

The Tour de Yorkshire route includes Haworth and Skipton, while the World Championship elite men's race also goes through the Bradford district.

The start of the women's elite race in the World Championship starts in Bradford.