Team Sky DS Dario Cioni has told VeloNews that Chris Froome firmly believed he was going to win the 2015 Vuelta a Espana before crashing out on stage eleven, the Italian has told VeloNews.

“Chris was poised to win the Vuelta, but someone knocked him off his bike, and he crashed,” Cioni said. “We will never know, but I think Chris would have the Vuelta.”

Cioni says the Vuelta in 2014 helped Froome prepare for the 2015 Tour de France, which he won. He now hops the 2015 edition can help the Brit conquer the 2016 Tour as well as the Olymic Road Race and Time Trial. Froome is also desperate to win a Vuelta, but that will not be in 2016, thanks to the Olympics.

“Riding the Vuelta helps you a lot going into the next season,” Cioni said. “If you end your season at the Tour [de France], you have a big drop off, and you really have to train hard in the off-season to regain that level.”