ADAM BECKET

EXPERT OPINION Staff writer, Pro cycling

Last year was a breakout year for Mikayla Harvey, with the 22-year- old claiming the young rider’s competition at the Giro Rosa, while finishing fifth overall, and putting in impressive results at Flèche and Strade Bianche. She was helped by compatriot Niamh FisherBlack, who almost won a stage of the Giro Rosa, too. The pair are no longer at the same team in 2021 - Harvey is at CanyonSram while Fisher- Black is at SD Worx - but they should keep impressing.

How many GC options is too many? The Ineos Grenadiers’ best race last season was the Giro d’Italia, where the pressure was off and opportunities opened up for Tao Geoghegan Hart and Filippo Ganna. At the Tour, with all the contenders they have, I think the team will struggle under the spotlight. It might prove too difficult to manage everyone’s ambitions, which could cause rancour.

Despite Arnaud Démare’s fantastic 2020, I think Caleb Ewan and Sam Bennett will battle between themselves to be crowned the best sprinter. Bennett will hope to challenge for the green jersey at the Tour again, and Ewan has proved he has the speed for anything.

This might not seem like too outlandish a prediction, with the riders that Ag2r now have. Greg Van Avermaet, Bob Jungels and Oliver Naesen are all proven contenders in big one- day races, and yet it will still be a surprise to see the brown shorts at the pointy end of a lot of the classics. The French team’s - change in focus will pay off.