The Jumbo Visma star trio of Primoš Roglic, Tom Dumoulin, and Steven Kruijswijk are struggling to keep the Dutch duo on the road due to a string of injuries and illnesses.

Dumoulin's return to racing has been further delayed by intestinal problems, and Kruijswijk will miss Paris-Nice while he recovers from a knee injury in a hospital room, adding to the disquiet over the team's Grand Tour grand design. Meanwhile, Roglic will at least make his debut in the "Race to the Sun."

However, Team Ineos excels at keeping everyone guessing about its duties as leader, sometimes down to the Grand Tour itself, and the options for the trio of champions Egan Bernal, Geraint Thomas, and Chris Froome all remain open It seems that all options remain open.

Whether Froome returns to the World Tour scene next week at the UAE Tour will be highly interesting, whether it is a decline in form or a dramatic return to form, but there is no doubt that the four-time Tour de France winner is hoping to be part of the Nice Grande Paire in late June.

This year, however, Ineos is following the tradition of keeping his leadership card close to his chest. [Brett Lancaster, sporting director of Team Ineos at the Tour de la Provence, said, "Announcing the Tour team early seems to be a new tactic that teams are using, and Jumbo Visma is a good example of that.

Lancaster also agreed that the days of single leader teams are nearly over. He said, "It's hard for a team to justify being a sprinter-driven team. I know Jumbo Visma is knocking on the door and the competition is great. A lot of teams are stepping up and that's really good for the sport."

Pavel Sivakov is already looking to build on last year's success, while Bernal, Froome, and Thomas are all preparing for the new season. Media speculation about the Jumbo-Visma lineup, especially Dumoulin's continued absence from the race, is an unnecessary headache for the Dutch team.

Even in mid-February, expectations are already high for the team leaders, as Dumoulin well knows.

"Of course, a spanner in the works doesn't help," he says. 'But it's all about managing it. We go week by week and look at riders who are in good shape. We are serious about how we choose our teams."