Chris Froome’s stance on riding the 2015 Tour de France could be softening after he initially hinted at a reluctance to ride the race.

The 2013 winner was absent when the route for next year’s race was announced last month and suggested he may skip the Tour to instead target next May’s Giro d’Italia and the Vuelta a Espana, which begins in August.

It seems inconceivable that Team Sky would allow its best rider to skip the sport’s most high-profile race next July and one in which Froome would be among the favourites, but his comments put his participation in doubt.

But, in an end of year interview with the Team Sky official website, Froome suggested he wanted to lead the Tour de France once more.

“Looking to next year, my key goal is just returning to good condition and being at the front of a race again,” the 29-year-old said.

“That’s a really big motivation for me. Whether it’s the Tour de France or any other race, it’s what I love doing.

“I love racing and being able to compete at the front – to be with a team of guys who you enjoy being with, and who you work together well with.

“That’s what gets me through the winter when I’m riding those long hours on my own.”

Froome abandoned the 2014 Tour de France with a broken hand and fractured wrist following three crashes in two days of the race.

He responded by finishing second in the Vuelta to Alberto Contador.