Team Sky name Vuelta a Espana squad to support Chris Froome

Team Sky have selected their nine man squad for the Vuelta a Espana with Chris Froome set to lead the team.

The Tour de France winner is looking to make history with a Grand Tour double and will be supported by a strong team that includes Mikel Landa, Michal Kwiatkowski and Leopold Konig. The Vuelta a Espana begins on August 20 with a 29.4-kilometre team time trial from Balneario Laias to Castrelo de Miño.

Ian Boswell, who impressed at the Giro d'Italia, gets a second outing at the Vuelta after making his Grand Tour debut there last year, while Peter Kennaugh, who missed out on selection for the Tour de France after breaking a collarbone at the Tour of California in May, has also been selected.

Michał Gołaś, Salvatore Puccio and Christian Knees make up the rest of the nine-man team.

"It's already been a great summer for both myself and the team, but the Vuelta is another big challenge for us," Froome said.

The 2015 Vuelta a Espana was won by Fabio Aru (Astana). This year's event will see a number of high profile Grand Tour contenders participate with Froome set to face-off against Alberto Contador (Tinkoff) and Nairo Quintana (Movistar). Froome, who won the Tour de France in 2015, started the Vuelta last year but was forced to abandon the race after scans revealed that he had fractured a foot in a crash. The injury brought an end to his season. Froome recently won a bronze medal in the Olympic Games time trial in Rio.

Vuelta a Espana 2016 - 10 riders to watch 

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