EDWARD PICKERING

Jumbo-Visma’s early announcement of their 2020 Tour de France team before 2019 was even out raised my eyebrows - mainly because I’ve been following cycling long enough to know that the chances of eight riders getting from December to July without injury, illness or mistimed form are quite slim.

But let’s assume that everything goes well, and they start in Nice with Roglic, Dumoulin, Kruijswijk, Gesink, Kuss, De Plus, Martin and Van Aert. If you could choose a fantasy Tour team with an unlimited budget, it wouldn’t look too dissimilar to this. All bases are covered - GC favourites, climbing domestiques and resilient flatlanders. The team looks... dare I say it… as strong as Ineos.

That’s great news. Jumbo went toe-to-toe with Ineos in last year’s Tour and in the early part of the race, put them on the back foot, even with their best GC rider of 2019 absent. This year they’re confident and stronger, and while a more defensive manager might spread the risk across two or three grand tours, Jumbo are all in for the yellow jersey. This will be the strongest team Ineos have ever come up against, and Ineos should be worried that their modus operandi since 2012 - crush the opposition with strong riders - may not be enough, for the first time.

I don’t mind who wins, as long as it’s a good race. But I think we’re in for a treat of a Tour this year, and its influence will extend back through every race between January and July. Each time a rider from one team beats one from the other, a psychological blow will have been struck, and I can’t rule out the idea that Jumbo’s early announcement of their team was a statement of intent - a signal to Ineos that they are coming for them.

As 2020 begins, I’ll be watching both teams very carefully. The Tour is in July, but in some ways, it has already begun.