Richard Karapas was scheduled to defend his Giro d'Italia crown, but was drafted into the Tour de France at the last minute.

Bernal enters the Tour de France as the defending champion, but he has withdrawn from the Criterium du Dauphiné due to a back injury. Colombia's Bernal told a press conference on Friday that he is still recovering from the injury but intends to lead Ineos' Tour challenge in the coming weeks. First of all, I think Egan is in top condition," Carapaz, who signed with Movistar over the winter, told the media. We'll see what happens day by day at the Tour and then we'll make a decision. Right now I can't say if I will be at the front or not, but I think it would be good to be at the front.

Karapas had a strong showing at the Tour of Poland in August, taking a stage win before leaving the race with a crash. However, he is clearly in better form after being named to the Tour team ahead of Chris Froome and Geraint Thomas.

"This year has been really unique. I was lucky to train well in my hometown and that's why I'm here. The team saw that and decided to come here. It's a big change, but it's the biggest race in the world for cyclists, so in that sense it's a great opportunity."

However, according to Kalapas, there are no plans at this stage for his role to be anything more than a helper. 'It hasn't been suggested or even considered yet. I think Egan is a good racer and I will support him until the end. And we will take it one day at a time, and depending on how the race unfolds, we will decide if we need to make a Plan B."

With Froom and Thomas returning home, the addition of Kalapas will increase the Latin American influence within the team. Bernal emphasized at the pre-race press conference that the core of the team is British, a sentiment echoed by Kalapas.

"You can't compare it to previous years. This is my first year on the team and I've only recently started to get to know the team. What is certain is that it is an English team and the language is English. There may be more Spanish speakers, but I think the team's original language will always be English. Egan and I met to some extent in the Colombian race and we have a good relationship."