The Ineos Grenadiers (open in new tab) team, which will support Chris Froome (open in new tab) and Richard Carapas (open in new tab) in this year's Vuelta a España (open in new tab), has compiled an eight-rider roster and submitted it to the race organizers.

As Cycling News reported Thursday, 2019 Tour de France winner Egan Bernal will not participate in the race to focus on his long-term health. The Colombian did not set the pace in this year's Tour, retiring with a back injury before Paris, and while there was speculation that he would return for the Vuelta, which runs from October 20 to November 8, the team has decided to rest its most valuable asset and prepare for a return to the Tour de France in 2021. The team has decided to rest its most valuable asset and prepare for a return to the Tour de France in 2021.

This means that Froome and Calapaz will lead the pack for the three weeks of racing in Spain, with a strong group of domestiques supporting them, including Andrei Amador, Ivan Sosa, Sebastian Henao, Cameron Wolf, and Michael Golas.

Teams are allowed to change their lineups until a few days before the race starts, and Ineos told Cycling News that the final roster is still being finalized. The team has included three possible substitutes in the submitted roster, and is standing by in case Owain Doull, Carlos Rodriguez, or Christian Nees are injured, or if the team decides that one of the substitutes is in better shape.

Knees' inclusion on the list is not surprising given his valuable experience. The 39-year-old will compete in some of the remaining spring classics, but has competed in 20 Grand Tours in his long career. Doull made his Grand Tour debut in last year's Vuelta. Like Nice, he has completed several races in Belgium, including this weekend in Ghent-Wevelgem, and is listed as an alternate for the Vuelta.

Rodriguez's selection is somewhat surprising given that he is only 19 and in his first year at the World Tour level, but the Spaniard has been impressive in his first full season at the top level. He made it through the Bink Bank Tour in September, but has only raced 19 days this year.

Perhaps the biggest surprise at this stage is the inclusion of Wolff on the team's provisional roster. The 37-year-old Australian native only joined the team in January after a six-year hiatus from racing at the World Tour level. He raced in the Ardennes Classics, and his last Grand Tour was the 2013 Vuelta.

Sosa will make his Grand Tour debut in 2019 and was originally included in the plans for the Giro d'Italia, but at this point he is certain to participate in the Vuelta and form part of the domestic core that will support Froome and Carapas in the mountains with Amador and Henao

The team will also be part of the Domestique core supporting Froome and Carapaz in the mountains.

Froome heads into the Vuelta a España hoping to rediscover his best form after a long recovery from the career-threatening crash that occurred at the 2019 Criterium du Dauphiné. He had hoped to qualify for the Tour de France, but lacked top-10 form and was switched to the Vuelta just before the French race was to take place. He admitted at the time that he was not ready for such a grueling race as the Tour de France.

"I understand 100 percent; I understand 100 percent. I felt myself not being where I needed to be," he told Cyclingnews and La Gazzetta dello Sport about his omission

.

"I want to continue to focus on my preparation for the Vuelta. I might take part in a one-day race like Liège-Bastogne-Liège. We'll see what happens."

Froom started Liège-Bastogne-Liège but did not finish the race. The Vuelta will be Froome's last Grand Tour in Ineos before his move to the emerging Israeli country in early 2021.

Calapaz also changed his race program this year. He was originally scheduled to try to defend his 2019 Giro d'Italia title, but after Froome and Geraint Thomas were left out of the Tour team, Ineos decided to switch Kalapas to the Tour de France to back up Bernal. Former Movistar rider Carapas rallied after Bernal left the race, finishing second in two mountain stages. He also narrowly lost the mountains title to eventual winner Tadej Pogacar on the final stage, but will head into the Vuelta a España with the chance to lead the team for three weeks.