Geraint Thomas (Team Ineos) believes the unusual reorganization of the 2020 season will affect his performance at the Tour de France, suggesting that many riders will "explode" in the final week.

Originally scheduled for late June or early July, the Tour was postponed from August 29 to September 20 due to the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak.

Racing will be suspended until August, with the first day, Strade Bianche, marking the start of the new calendar. Two stage races, the Tour de Pollogne and the Criterium du Dauphiné, will be held as preparation races for the Tour.

Thomas, who questions the usual pre-race high-altitude training camps and reconnaissance trips, warned that we could see a different Tour as a result.

"Hopefully we have Poland and Dauphiné before the Tour, but there are still question marks. But those are still question marks. Really there are question marks on everything," Thomas told Eurosport (opens in new tab).

"If it's going to be done, I think we need to focus on that and be fully committed to it. If it's going to be a recon or a training camp, it could be jeopardized by travel restrictions and all kinds of things.

Thus, Thomas predicted an unpredictable final week, with the 2020 Tour starting in Nice and heading into the hills as early as stage 2, with summit finishes on stages 4 and 6.

The second week will be flat and intermediate mountainous, followed by three mountain stages in the final week.

"The final week will be an exciting race," said Thomas.

"Everyone might be in great shape for the first 10 days or so, but without that chunk of the race, depending on what kind of training you've been doing, I think you're going to see a lot of people explode in the last week. It's exciting to watch."

Thomas enters the Tour as one of three leaders of Team Ineos, along with four-time winner Chris Froome and last year's champion Egan Bernal. However, Bernal has made it clear that he will not sacrifice his own chances, and Cycling News reported on Thursday that Froome is in talks to move to another team, and that a move could happen before this year's Tour.

Thomas spent most of his time in captivity in Wales, but has now returned to his base in Monaco to begin training more aggressively for the Tour.

"The most important thing for me is to stay mentally fresh. It's clear that the Tour dates are set, but it's still about 15 weeks away. It's about staying mentally fresh and being able to really show my strength when it counts.