• Tour de France

Froome: Twin Tour assault 'not ideal'

Chris Froome won stage seven of the 2012 Tour de France on his way to second place overall © Getty Images

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Chris Froome believes the prospect of a Team Sky twin assault at the 2013 Tour de France alongside Bradley Wiggins could be both a blessing and a curse for the British team.

Froome finished runner-up to team-mate Wiggins after playing a supporting role for the first British winner of the race at this year's Tour, and has been tipped to lead Sky's charge on the far more mountainous 2013 course.

Wiggins initially looked content to concede the leadership to Froome as he turns his attentions to the Giro d'Italia, but early season training has convinced him that he could defend his yellow jersey next summer.

The situation is set to provide a headache for Team Sky principal Dave Brailsford, who must decide whether to side with Froome or Wiggins or consider the possibility of supporting a twin assault on the famous race.

"I was thrilled that [Wiggins has] got his appetite back. He's hungry and he wants it again," Brailsford told BBC Sport. "It's a problem I relish and we'll assess it as we get closer."

While he admits the situation is far from perfect, Froome, who looked capable of contending for this year's Tour but followed team orders to support Wiggins, sees the positives in the situation for the British outfit.

"I think it's only natural that he [Wiggins] would want to defend his jersey or go there again to keep the legacy alive," Froome told Sky Sports News. "But I think as a team the most important thing for us is to make sure that one of us is going to be there in the yellow jersey at the end of it.

"Whatever we can do to get to that point - be it Brad or myself - I think we're going in in a much stronger position having two of us even considering going for it.

"It's not an ideal situation, but I think if it's managed correctly and the team goes in with a precise plan around that, whatever that plan may be, I think we're all professional enough to do our jobs and follow that plan."

Froome was philosophical about the prospect of Brailsford siding with Wiggins, who was named Sports Personality of the Year for 2012 after his Tour de France and Olympic time trial victories this summer, and admitted there was some sense in the two-pronged attack after seeing Wiggins break his collarbone in a crash while in contention in 2011.

"It would be hard for him not to go in and defend having won it last year," Froome told BBC Sport. "He's going to the Tour with the aim of being the best possible but it's up to the team to decide how we manage that and the team have got a lot of confidence in me going for the yellow jersey.

"It's always better going in with two-prong attack rather instead of hedging all our bets on just one rider because something can go easily wrong as we have seen before."

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