According to sport director Brett Lancaster, 2019 Tour de Alps and Tour de Poland winner Pavel Sivakov (opens in new tab) is in the lineup of Team Ineos (opens in new tab) for the 2020 Tour de France He started the season with a firm eye on the following.

"Sivakov is knocking on the door to start at the Tour," Lancaster told Cycling News at the Tour de la Provence (opens in new tab).

"He has already performed very well in Australia, so he will probably be looking for a top three finish and a podium here.

"There are a lot of good riders here and it's a small race. It's the first race of the year for the classics and for guys like Eddie Dunbar. It will be a good test for him, Gianni Moscon is in good shape, and there are two very hard stages, the 2nd and 3rd, that will be a test.

Lancaster, like many of the race officials, had no doubts that mid-February would also include a stage finish to the Chalet Reynard in Mont Ventoux.

"Look at this field. We have a lot of good climbers and big stars in this race, FDJ just came back from the high altitude, and everyone is in good shape for this time of year. Everyone is ready to go."

But while Sivakov is already looking ahead to July, Chris Froome's full-fledged return to racing will begin next week when he competes in the UAE Tour on February 23.

"By all accounts, he is doing well and on track. But I'm in Australia for a month. But he must be doing well."

Among the WorldTour teams racing in Provence this week, Team Ineos is keeping a close eye on every detail of logistics, but Lancaster admitted that with all the key team riders and staff constantly on the move, the spread of the coronavirus is "a concern."

"You know how advanced we are in sanitation. It's worrisome," he revealed.

"A lot of everything in cycling is produced in these Asian countries, so what we don't know is the impact.

In late January, when the first cases of infection were announced in the United Arab Emirates, Team Ineos said it was "keeping a close eye on the situation" regarding the spread of the virus, but with Formula 1 forced to postpone the Chinese Grand Prix and even the Tokyo Olympics in question, the proximity to fans and easy access to road racing is among the most vulnerable in the sport.

"It's about monitoring and risk assessment," Lancaster said. But we can only pray," Lancaster said.