Chris Froome has confirmed he will compete in the 2018 Giro d'Italia as the Team Sky rider goes in search of a third consecutive Grand Tour triumph.
The Briton, who won the Tour de France and Vuelta a Espana this year, has set his sights on a remarkable hat-trick, making the announcement on the day the route for the event was announced.
Froome will be on the start line in Jerusalem on May 4, marking his return to the Giro after an eight-year absence, as he looks to match Eddy Merckx and Bernard Hinault - the only men to hold all three Grand Tour titles simultaneously.
"It's a unique situation for me, having won the Tour and Vuelta and now having the opportunity to go to the Giro and attempt to win a third consecutive Grand Tour," said the 32-year-old.
"It's really exciting to be able to take on a new challenge, to do something that perhaps people wouldn't expect and to mix it up.
"It's a whole new motivation for me to see if I can pull off something special next year.
"I feel as if my cycling career started in Italy in some ways. I lived there for three years when I began my career as a professional, so having the opportunity to go back to the Giro in the position I am now in, and with the opportunity I have, feels in some ways like completing a circle."
The route will likely have pleased Froome, with two time trials included across more than 40 kilometres.
The first three stages of the 101st Giro are in Israel, before another trio of legs on the island of Sardinia, while Rome hosts the finish.
