Geraint Thomas believes meritocracy will decide Team Ineos leadership at Tour de France

PARIS FRANCE JULY 28 Podium Geraint Thomas of United Kingdom and Team INEOS Egan Bernal of Colombia and Team INEOS Yellow Leader Jersey Celebration during the 106th Tour de France 2019 Stage 21 a 128km stage from Rambouillet to Paris Champslyses TDF TDF2019 LeTour on July 28 2019 in Paris France Photo by Chris GraythenGetty Images
Geraint Thomas and Egan Bernal on the 2019 Tour de France podium in Paris (Image credit: Getty images Sport)

Geraint Thomas has played down talk of a leadership battle inside Team Ineos during the Tour de France and avoided speculating on if Chris Froome will make a mid-season transfer to Israel Start-Up Nation, telling the BBC he believes in meritocracy, with the unpredictability of racing after the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic lockdown meaning everyone could suffer a bad day and lose time during the three weeks of racing.   

Thomas, like the rest of the Tour de France contenders should have been gathering in Nice today for the Tour de France Grand Depart. Instead he is training hard at altitude in the French Alps, apparently with Froome and several other Team Ineos teammates, in preparation for a return to racing in August and the the rescheduled September Tour de France.

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