Discussion and speculation about the composition of the Ineos team in the Tour de France will continue after the "Queen" stage of the Route d'Occitanie to the Col de Beyrade. The stage provided some answers as to the condition of the key riders on the British team, but at the same time it became clear that no easy selection decision could be made just yet.

Egan Bernal, the defending Tour champion, was doubly pleased with his stage finish, both for the victory and for seeing his teammates kick his rivals to the curb. He admitted that he did not set his sights on winning the Beyrade in Occitanie, but his performance made it clear that his preparations for defending his Tour crown are in full swing.

"I want to work towards this goal, improving little by little, staying calm and not thinking too much beyond that, just taking it one day at a time, one race at a time," he said. There are still a few days until the Tour, and this is a very good race, but the Tour is something completely different, so the best thing is to keep my feet on the ground."

He responded to attempts to paint him as a strong contender for the Tour, saying, "There are a lot of riders who can challenge for this status. Of the riders he beat today, he singled out Frenchman Thibaut Pinot (Groupama-FDJ). Looking at Pinot, there is no doubt that he is not at 100% here. We will see a different Pinot in the Tour. Winning here doesn't mean he will win the Tour de France. I have to think about tomorrow's stage and I don't really want to think about whether I am a contender to win the Tour."

On teammate Chris Froome, Bernal said he was honored to work for him on the Beyrade stage. He said, "Chris did a really great job today. He is still recovering from the accident and his first goal is the Tour. We all know that.

As for Froome, his smile at the finish said it all about his day. It was his first time in a big mountain stage since the Tour de l'Alps in April 2019. He said after the first day in Occitanie that he was "feeling good," and he proved it even more strongly here, turning the screws on the undulating mid-Beirade section and giving his rivals no chance to recover before the "wall" leading to the summit.

Asked if Froom felt he might have a chance to be one of the leaders of the Ineos at the Tour, he replied, "For now, I want to take it one week at a time. Of course, things can change before the Tour. There is still a month to go and a lot can happen."

Full of praise for his teammates, Froome reflected on the special meaning of this stage for him and recalled his memories with Nicolas Portal on the Ineos DS. He said, "A stage like this was really special in the sense that it allowed me to remember Nico. It was a road I spent hours scouting with Nico for the Tour de France. It certainly brought back a lot of memories, and to come in first and second was really special.