Team Sky can confirm that Chris Froome and Geraint Thomas will focus their 2019 seasons around the Tour de France, with Egan Bernal set to lead his first Grand Tour at the Giro d’Italia.
Froome, who is targeting a record-equalling fifth Tour title, and defending champion Thomas will take to the start line in Brussels on July 6. Bernal, who enjoyed a revelatory first season at WorldTour level, will lead the team at the Giro, starting in Bologna on May 11.

Explaining his decision to target the Tour, Froome said: „It’s been a hard decision to figure out exactly what to do in 2019 and figure out which Grand Tours to focus on, especially having won the Giro last year and having had such an amazing time out there with the team – but for 2019, my number one objective is going to be the Tour de France.
„It was definitely a difficult decision not to go back to the Giro d’Italia and defend the maglia rosa. I’ve got some amazing memories from last year, but I think, with the Tour de France as my main objective, it’s probably better that I skip the Giro d’Italia in 2019.
„I’m getting to the point in my career now where I’m starting to think about what kind of legacy I want to leave behind and if I am able to win the Tour de France for a fifth time and join that very elite group of bike riders – only four other people have ever done that – it would just be incredible.“

Thomas also confirmed that he will be targeting the Tour in 2019, as well as eyeing the time trial World Championships which are being held on British soil in Yorkshire.
He said: „The main goal for me will be to go back to the Tour de France for the best result I can. Maybe if I hadn’t have won the Tour in 2018 I might have looked at a Giro/Vuelta programme but, having won the Tour, I’ll have the number one on my back and it would be sad not to go back and not to go back at 100% as well.
„The year will be geared around that, but I’m also looking forward to a slightly different programme as well, and obviously after the Tour, the Worlds in Yorkshire will be massive.
„I think the time trial will be my best chance of getting something out of it. It will be a good goal to have for the end of the year. I certainly want to be there because the support in the UK and in Yorkshire especially is just unbelievable at the moment. They’re going to be a massive Worlds and it will be great to be a part of that.“

Bernal, 21, is excited about tackling the Giro for the first time – a race close to his heart.
He said: „The Giro is a race that I really, really like. I lived in Italy for three years, so I have a lot of friends there and I really like the Italian fans. I know the roads, I really like the Giro, and I want to do a good race there.“
And the Colombian will start his season on home soil, as defending champion at the Tour Colombia.
„I’m really excited to do the Tour Colombia. It will be the first race with Froomey there so we want to do it well! It’s at home and I want to do a good race for the fans, for my family, and for Colombia. It’s incredible how the fans support us and it’s right at home. It will be good.“

After spending the last week with his new teammates at the team’s training camp in Mallorca, Ivan Ramiro Sosa is excited about his maiden season in the peloton with Team Sky.
Sosa, who completed the team’s roster for the 2019 season when he put pen to paper on a contract earlier this month, continues the team’s strong connection with South American riders, becoming the fifth Colombian rider to sign for Team Sky.

The 21 year old enjoyed a breakthrough season in 2018, claiming an impressive overall victory at the Vuelta a Burgos, in addition to stage race wins at the Adriatica Ionica Race and Sibiu Cycling Tour – and now he’s targeting more success with Team Sky, as he looks to continue his development at WorldTour level next season, joining an ever-growing group of talented young riders on the team’s roster.
Sosa said: “I am really happy to be here.
“I am here to keep improving as a rider and while it will be a learning process for me during my early days with the team, I believe I will fit into this group well and race to my full potential over the coming years.”
A close friend of Egan Bernal, Sosa is pleased to have a familiar face alongside him at Team Sky, commenting: “Having Egan here is a big boost for me – he is a good friend and someone I know very well.
“Having him and a few other South Americans in the team will be really beneficial for me.”

As well as Bernal, Sosa has got to know the rest of his new team-mates well in Mallorca over the last week or so and he’s been welcomed into the team with open arms.
“Everyone has been really welcoming to me,” he said.
“There is a nice mix of youth and experience within this team and they’ve all helped me settle in.
“Training has been really good and the DS’s and coaches have been great with me too.
“We’re all looking forward to the new season and the chance to build on the team’s successes of 2018.”
Team Sky race coach, Xabier Artetxe, believes Sosa’s arrival presents another exciting addition to the team’s roster, adding: „Ivan is a really strong climber. In the long climbs especially, he’s produced some really good performances, but there is so much more to come from him still.
“He will need time to settle in; to learn how we train; to learn how we race – but he has everything here to keep progressing as a rider. He has the potential to be one of the best climbers in the world.”
Artetxe believes Sosa’s relationship with Bernal will be a huge help to him as he gets used to life at Team Sky, commenting: “He is really close to Egan – they know each other really, really well – and that will help him. Egan is a great example for Sosa. He will help him settle into Team Sky and help him continue to make improvements as a young rider with huge potential.”
@Team SKY

Sky has announced this morning that its ownership and sponsorship of Team Sky will end on 31 December 2019. So that means next year will be our last year racing as Team Sky.
This news will no doubt come a surprise to many people but, as you may know, there has been a lot of change at Sky recently. It is the start of a new chapter for the company and sometimes it is inevitable that change brings further change with it. That is what has happened here.

Over the past nine seasons, Sky has backed us all the way, enabling us to achieve some amazing results and inspire millions of people to love our sport. We’d like to thank Sky for all of their support, and in particular the opportunity to help Britain become a cycling nation.

First things first, nothing changes for next year. Sky are fully committed to the end of 2019 and together we have ambitious goals for the season. We all want to close the Team Sky story with the strongest possible finish. We are more motivated as a Team than we have ever been.

In terms of the future, we are open minded. If we can find a new long-term partner to take the Team forward into a new era, then we will do so. And we will be doing everything we can to make that happen over the coming weeks and months. Equally, any future partner would have to be the right partner – one who shares our ethos and buys in to our values.

This news has only just been announced; we can’t predict what will happen from 2020 and there are no guarantees. Whatever happens, we will make sure there is clarity one way or the other about the future of the Team before the Tour de France next July.

Finally, a big thank you to all of our fans. You are, and have always been, the people who are the most important to us and who matter the most. It has been our privilege to race for you. We are proud to have written our pages in the history books and created memories that will never fade.

And rest assured we are not done yet by any means. Right now, the Team is at training camp putting in the hard work to get ready for next season. We can’t wait to see you all out on the road in the New Year.
Team SKY