Despite only hanging up the bike for a break at the Saitama Criterium, Ian Boswell knew exactly what his 2017 goals were going to be at Sky.

"It's been a good year but maybe I didn't get quite as much out of it as I'd wanted. I did two Grand Tours, and doing that on Team Sky is somewhat successful in itself but maybe I expected more performances from myself at a higher level," he told Cyclingnews. "At the same time I progressed and was stronger at the end of the Grand Tours than in 2015 when I did my first Grand Tour. I still expect to improve and maybe try and lead a race next year. I'd like to put my hand up for that."

Boswell knows that it will be hard to make the now-eight man Tour de France team, but being allowed to lead at a race like the Tour of California or Giro del Trentino may not be completely out of the question.

"Maybe a race like the Tour of California or Trentino is something I can look at. One of those week-long races in terms of leadership. At the camp Dave Brailsford said he wanted us to set big ambitions for ourselves, so for me that would be making the Tour team."