Froome: I'll put the disappointments of this year behind me

The 29-year-old endured a terrible run of luck when it came to injuries, the worst of which saw him pull out of his Tour de France title defence when he sustained a fractured wrist and hand in a series of crashes.

A lower back problem prior to that saw him miss the Tirreno-Adriatico in March while another heavy crash in June's Criterium du Dauphine ruled him out of contention for victory.

Froome, however, showed signs of a return to form at the Vuelta a Espana where he safely completed the race earlier this month, finishing second overall.

And with thoughts now turning to next year, Froome is confident his injury problems are behind him.

"It's fair to say it has been a year of ups and downs. More than anything I'm just glad that, after the setbacks at the Tour and the injuries early season with my lower back, injuries with my wrist, my hand, I'm all healed up now," he said.

"The Vuelta was proof that those injuries aren't going to be an issue for me going forward. The Vuelta helped me get to the end of the season in good form again, which I would hope will transfer through to the winter.

"It has been a tough year but I'm really happy with how it has worked out. Cycling is so unpredictable and when you get everything that works in your favour, you should take that with open arms.

"But this year has been a lot about learning how to deal with situations where it doesn't go quite right."