Team Sky's Chris Froome admits added pressure ahead of Tour de France defence

The Kenyan-born Brit triumphed in the world's most famous cycling race 12 months ago, and is gunning to defend the yellow jersey this time around.

This year Froome faces the added weight of an expectant home crowd with the Grand Depart set to leave from Leeds on Saturday.

However, the Team Sky rider is confident that he can use the support of the crowd to his advantage.

"There definitely is an increased pressure element, coming back as defending champion given that we're starting on home soil," he said. "We've got huge crowds out here.

"But I think it's all very warm, positive energy. For us, we couldn't be asking for much more as a team, starting in that kind of way and giving us that launch pad into the Tour de France."

Ahead of the Tour, Froome has earmarked two-time victor Alberto Contador as one of his biggest threats, but says the Saxo-Tinkoff man is just one of many challengers to his crown.

"I think Alberto has showed he is definitely in a much more competitive position this year than he was last year," he added. "His run up to the Tour de France has certainly been a lot smoother.

"I think he has managed to get a lot more results early season than he did last year. But as I think, as with a lot of my main rivals, and the main contenders here - everybody seems to have upped their game."

Froome is hoping to make it three Tour victories a row for Team Sky, after Bradley Wiggins' success in 2012.

However, team principal Dave Brailsford suggested the onus is on winning and not defending the crown.

"I don't really agree with the idea of defending anything, to be honest," he commented

"I think in sport, you try and win things. You don't try and defend things. And whilst we have won the Tour de France twice, what we are now trying to do is win the Tour de France for a third time.

"It might happen this time, this year in this race, but it might not."