Chris Froome is refusing to rule out riding next year’s Giro d’Italia but has admitted it is “unlikely”.
The 31-year-old Briton reacted warmly on Twitter when a route containing 67.2km of individual time trialling and four summit finishes was unveiled earlier this week.
Froome is a time trialling specialist and the Giro course appears far better suited to him than next year's Tour de France, which contains only 38km against the clock.
However, speaking at the Saitama Criterium in Japan, Froome told cyclingnews.com: "[The Giro is] certainly an interesting route and a more balanced route that you would expect in a Grand Tour, with a balance in the time trials and the big mountain stages. It's definitely going to be an exciting race.
"Whether I'm going to be there, who knows? I think that it's unlikely given that my focus is still the Tour, but I'm definitely not going to rule it out."
One option for Froome is to ride both the Giro and Tour next year, and in doing so attempt a double not achieved since 1998.
Asked if it interested him, he said: "That's a good question. We've not really come up with a programme yet for next year.
"That will happen in the next few weeks. I'll sit down with the team, with Tim Kerrison [coach at Team Sky] and come up with a strategy for next year."
Should Froome attempt the double, he could be joined by 2016 Vuelta a Espana winner Nairo Quintana.
The Colombian is only an average time triallist and is therefore not suited to the Giro's route, but he revealed at a press conference on Friday that he is considering riding both races.
"The Tour and Vuelta [in 2016] didn't turn out so bad, so maybe we can try it with the Giro and Tour," he said. "If we don't try, we'll never know what will happen."
Quintana's statement was backed up by his Movistar team manager, Eusebio Unzue.
"With Nairo, the Tour clearly is the top goal, but we are also considering racing the Giro as well," he said.
"We have to look at all the possibilities, and maybe we'll race the Tour-Vuelta combination. The final decision is not made."