Chris Froome is already planning to reclaim the Tour de France yellow jersey in 2015 after his title defence ended with a fractured wrist and hand before the race hit the high mountains.

The 29-year-old won the 2013 edition and was favourite for July's race, but three crashes in two days ended his hopes.

Team Sky struggled after Froome's departure, with understudy Richie Porte floundering after taking over as leader.

Froome is sure to lead the British squad once more when the 102nd Tour begins in Utrecht, with the full route to be revealed in October.

He said: "It's just one of those things and I'm going to have move on. It's been quite refreshing to know I'm not going in as defending Tour de France champion again.

"I can probably fly under the radar a little bit more now. It will spur me on to be absolutely ready for next year's edition."

Team Sky have had to move on, too, after near-flawless Tours in 2012 -when Sir Bradley Wiggins became the first British winner - and in 2013 when Froome triumphed.

Principal Sir Dave Brailsford has spoken of the need for the squad to continually assess how they approach the race.

Froome, who will now ride the Vuelta a España, which begins in Jerez on August 23, agrees. The Kenya-born Briton said: "It's easy to get lulled into a false sense of security of almost how easy it is at the time, but it's a huge ask winning the Tour de France.

"It's not necessarily a bad thing what happened this year. In a way it's been a good readjustment for us, and to re-evaluate things and to look at where we are and how better to improve."