Speaking to Sky Sports, Tour de France winner Chris Froome (Sky) said he saw no reason why he and Bradley Wiggins shouldn’t be able to ride together in the same races, including the 2014 Tour de France. Furthermore, Froome characterized insinuations that he and Wiggins, his predecessor as Tour de France winner, don’t get along too well as "an outside look at things".

Froome was speaking temporarily on Sky Sports before heading to Colorado for the USA Pro Challenge which kicks off on August 19. The American race will be Froomes first serious race since leaving France wearing a yellow tunic. The race also marks the launch of Froome’s preparations for the world road race championships in Florence, Italy, in September.

Last week Froome was on a recce tour in Tuscany to study the parcours. Reportedly Froome will skip the individual time trial event for Great Britain to focus on the road race. Wiggins, on the other hand, will target the time trial but it is uncertain if he will act in a supporting role as Froome's domestique for the road race.

Since appearing to be on a collision course during the 2012 Tour de France, the pair has ridden different race programmes since the Tour of Oman in February. Recently Wiggins admitted in an interview with Daily Mail that Froome has earned the right to lead Team Sky at the 2014 Tour de France after winning this year but also indicated that he might join the team to act as a super domestique to Froome.

"I don’t see any reason why not," Froome said tactfully when asked about the prospect of having Wiggins in the team. "We're both professionals and we've both won the Tour de France now. There are a lot of races on our calendar but I don’t see why not."

When quizzed about a brewing rivalry with Wiggins, Froome denied that there's competition between the two.

"I wouldn't say that. I think it's more of an outside look at things. We’ve never competed at a race together. At each race there's a clear plan and a clear leader. It doesn't happen in pro cycling that you have two guys [from the same team] racing against each other."

Since winning the Tour de France, Froome has limited his race activity to a series of lucrative criteriums but the USA Pro Challenge will offer him some serious altitude racing as he intensifies his preparation for the world championships.

"It was a huge thing for British cycling for Cavendish to be in the world champion's jersey and it would be an absolute honour to wear the jersey myself," Froome explained on Sky Sports.

"It's going to be a really tough race down in Florence, though. It finishes with a hard circuit - keeping in mind it's 280km and over 4000m of climbing - so it's going to be a little bit of a gamble. I think a couple of groups of riders could win it, either a punchier climber or a real pure climber, so it does open the race up to a lot of guys who could do really well there. But that makes it more exciting and I'd like to give it a shot and go for it."