LONDON (Reuters) - Tour de France champion Chris Froome said he was "hungrier than ever" to win the race for a third time after being named on Wednesday as Team Sky's leader for next month's edition.
Froome, who won in 2013 and last year, leads a powerful looking Sky team built to steer him to the yellow jersey when racing begins at Mont-Saint-Michel on July 2.
He will be joined by Spain's climbing specialist Mikel Landa, another world-class climber in Colombia's Sergio Henao and key support rider from last year Geraint Thomas.
Vasil Kiryienka, Mikel Nieve, Wout Poels, Luke Rowe and Ian Stannard complete team principal Dave Brailsford's squad.
"The Tour de France will always be the pinnacle of our sport," Froome, who clicked into gear with victory in the Criterium du Dauphine this month, said in a statement.
"Every rider obviously starts every new Tour equal and what has gone before counts for nothing. This year I am hungrier than ever for success.
"We're ready for the challenge and can't wait to get back racing in front of the millions of people in France who make the race so special."