According to Team Sky, their leader Chris Froome is doing less to achieve more in 2016. Froome’s race itinerary not only includes the Tour de France in July but also the Olympics and Vuelta a España in August – which is why he pedalled into the year softer than normal.

The reigning Tour de France winner won the Herald Sun Tour in February, a stage in the Tour de Romandie and the overall in the Dauphiné last week. On the face of it, it may have seemed just as busy as last year’s Tour lead-up, but it was not.

“He should be good for the Tour and the Olympic road race, he didn’t race a lot,” Sports Director Nicolas Portal told Cycling Weekly. “Last year, he was always at the races going for the GC, then the Tour. After, he also wants to do the Vuelta, so he wants to start the Tour fresh as if he is starting the season. This year compared to last, he has spent much more time in training camps. He did less. He did the Sun Tour, and stayed in Australia for three weeks. He was also in South Africa for a long time before starting the European season.”

Portal acknowledged that Froome wasn't at his best at the Tour of Catalunya, but insists that Froome was riding better than what the pictures on tv seemed to suggest.

“He didn’t look great on TV in Catalunya, but I think he did the best one ever,” Portal said. “He was there at 20 seconds on that last climb, holding off Contador and Quintana, but he just missed that speed. He was good in Romandie, he won a stage and escaped in another, but just not at his best. Now the big block starts: to win the Dauphiné, then going on to do the same in the Tour, Olympics and Vuelta.”

For Froome and anyone else setting his sights on the Tour, the Olympics and the Vuelta, this summer is going to be extremely busy and exhausting. The Tour de France starts July 2 and runs for three weeks. Afterwards, Froome et al will barely have time to recover for the Olympics two weeks later on August 6 and the start of the three-week Vuelta on August 20.

After his triumph in the gruelling Dauphiné, Froome is currently training and tuning his engine for the big block ahead.

“Froome went hard each day in the Dauphiné and finished each stage going deep. Now he will recover and his body will go to another level for the Tour. It’s the same with riders like Tejay van Garderen in [Tour de] Suisse or Nairo Quintana, they are pushing it hard and will back off and be even stronger at the Tour, I’m sure,” added Portal.

According to the Sky d.s., Froome's preparations are progressing as planned.

“Chris is going well. He needs to improve overall, hold higher speeds for longer times. In the Dauphiné, maybe he was going at 10 to 15 minutes, but for the Tour, maybe he wants to go 20 to 25 minutes, but not at the same intensity. He can win two Grand Tours, but you need to have most of the others in the same condition. He needs to face Contador, Quintana…the majority of rivals from the Tour, but if he gets five fresh guys who didn’t race the Tour, then that changes things. That’s harder.”

Last week, Froome went straight from the Criterium Dauphiné on a recce tour of some of the climbs that are expected to be decisive in determining the winner of the Tour. Starting July 2, he will know whether or not his preparations bear fruit.