Tour de France champion Chris Froome to visit Korea

Four-time Tour de France champion Chris Froome will visit South Korea this fall to participate in an event for amateur cyclists, a sports marketing firm here said Monday.

WAGTI said Froome will arrive in South Korea for the second L'Etape Korea by Le Tour de France, which will be held Oct. 14 to 15. The event is designed to allow amateur cyclists to ride the same route and conditions as pro cyclists do in the Tour de France stage. South Korea became the first Asian country to host the L'Etape series last year.

WAGTI, co-organizer of the event with the Korea Cycling Federation, said this year's edition will also commemorate South Korea's hosting of the Winter Olympic Games next year in PyeongChang, Gangwon Province. To wish for a successful Winter Games, the organizers said they've prepared a 160-kilometer route connecting Seoul and PyeongChang.

WAGTI said the Amaury Sport Organisation, the organizer of the Tour de France, has visited South Korea and inspected the route.

Froome previously visited South Korea for the inaugural L'Etape Korea event last year. The 32-year-old Brit claimed the yellow jersey at the Tour de France in 2013, 2015, 2016 and 2017.