Geraint Thomas will direct Ineos Grenadiers in 2021 Tour de France

Geraint Thomas will lead the Ineos Grenadiers lineup at this year’s Tour de France, supported by the Giro d’Italia champion, Tao Geoghegan Hart, and the 2019 Giro winner, Richard Carapaz, in accordance to the workforce principal, Dave Brailsford.

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Photograph: Sylvain Thomas/AFP/Getty Images

This year’s Tour route is “really suited to Geraint’s attributes,” Brailsford reported, of the 2018 Tour winner, who will be 35 this calendar year and is in discussions with the crew around a new deal.

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“He is very motivated for it. Specified the time-trialling, the mother nature of the climbing, the 1st 7 days and the cross winds, that ingredient lends alone very well to his abilities and attributes. On paper it is a fantastic Tour for Geraint.”

The 2019 Tour winner, Egan Bernal, who has expended considerably of this wintertime in rehabilitation for the back again harm that forced him out of his title defence, produced his return to racing in the south of France on Wednesday, and Brailsford said the Giro will be the Colombian’s initial focus on.

“He put in time in Italy as a young rider, he was in an Italian team, he has potent connections in Italy and he really desires to compete for all a few Grand Excursions and not just fall into the trap of undertaking the Tour just about every 12 months. I would not rule out Egan doubling up into the Tour, that’s very attainable. But we’ll evaluate that a single as we get closer.”

© Photograph: Sylvain Thomas/AFP/Getty Photos
Geraint Thomas, the winner of the 2018 Tour de France, is in talks with Ineos Grenadiers about a new contract.

Geoghegan Hart, the shock winner in Milan very last autumn, will target on the Tour. “He could have long gone again to Italy and there was a great deal of chat about him heading again to protect his Giro title,” Brailsford stated. “On the other hand, he could action up and concentrate on trying to experience the Tour. In conditions of his development and improvement, it felt like riding the Tour was the upcoming stage.”

“It is a excellent opportunity for him. He had a great journey, unbelievable practical experience and an inspiring experience for all of us who were being in and all around that. It feels like he can have on that journey, move up even though he is in these a wonderful area. Go and just take on a new obstacle, a distinctive obstacle, and see how we can get on.”

New recruit Adam Yates will focus on the Vuelta a España, though Brailsford said the 21-calendar year-old Tom Pidcock will be predicted to learn how to “life the lifestyle of an elite rider.”