Speculation as to whether Chris Froome (Team Sky) will attempt to win both the Giro d'Italia and Tour de France in 2018 could soon be confirmed, according to a Dutch news website.
Telepsport.nl reports that a source from within Giro organiser RCS relayed the information ahead of the full race route announcement this week.
This report has not been confirmed but lends weight to the expectation that Froome will be enticed to the Giro by a favourable route and the challenge of another Grand Tour double.
Froome won both the Tour and Vuelta a Espana in 2017 and so victory in the 2018 Giro would mean he was the reigning champion of all three Grand Tour simultaneously, which would be unprecedented in the modern era.
The last rider to win the Giro-Tour double was Marco Pantani in 1998, and its a feat that has alluded more recent riders such as Alberto Contador and Nairo Quintana.
Although Froome managed the Tour-Vuelta double, admittedly not easily, taking back-to-back wins at the Giro and Tour will be a much tougher challenge.
With the Giro d'Italia coming earlier in the year, riders may not be fully recovered and re-trained from the previous season in a way they can be a month later.
What's more, with the Giro's defending champion Tom Dumoulin now seen as the best hope of ending Froome's Grand Tour dominance, the Team Sky leader could be facing his toughest challenge yet at the Tour de France even without expending energy on the Giro first.