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Within the world of cycling media there is an in-joke around ‘the Tour’s the Tour’ – a phrase overused by riders and Team DSS. We tend to throw it around with a smile when something interesting happens at or before the Tour de France that probably wouldn’t happen anywhere else.

The Chris Froome transfer news is a good example of when the phrase works just perfectly. You wouldn’t have a career changing leadership battle fought over any other race.

The story is the real start of the buildup to the Tour. It will frame almost every conversation and story between now and 29 August. And it’s a humdinger of a story. As talented as Froome obviously is, that talent probably wouldn’t have been turned into a sixtime Grand Tour winner without the back-up and focus that Dave Brailsford’s staff bring.

There are two questions for me. How will Froome fare outside of that set-up – there is nothing even remotely comparable currently in place at the Israel Start-up Nation team – and will he even be selected for this year’s race? Reputations count for little at the team (remember Wiggins in 2013?) so Froome will have to earn his place. Will he be good enough? Will they want to take a rider who may not be 100 per cent committed to the team?

The Tour’s the Tour. And the Tour just got interesting.