Deep down Matt White will already have a hunch as to which of his young GC riders - Esteban Chaves, Adam Yates or Simon Yates - will be unleashed at the 2017 Tour de France, but at the route unveiling in Paris the Orica-BikeExchange director erred on the side of caution, choosing to see the full deck of Grand Tour routes before deciding the team's next move.
"We want to see the Giro [d'Italia] route. We have some ideas for next year but we definitely want to take someone to the Tour de France to challenge for the podium. Who that will be, we will find out in the next couple of weeks. We'll see the Giro route, sit down with our guys and then come up with a big picture plan," he told Cyclingnews after taking in Christian Prudhomme's balanced 2017 race route.
This year Orica enjoyed a breakthrough campaign in Grand Tours. Chaves finished second in the Giro d'Italia and third in the Vuelta a España, while Adam Yates claimed fourth and the white jersey in the Tour de France. Simon Yates missed out on the Tour de France due to suspension but remains part of the GC brigade after taking sixth in the Vuelta.
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All three riders have similar traits. They are all 26 or under; can climb exceptionally, have almost unrivalled stamina, while time trialing is an Achilles heel for all three. It means that White has a problem - albeit a very nice one - when it comes to positioning his troops for the 2017 campaign.
"This year we targeted all three Grand Tours, and of the top of my head that will be the plan once again and with realistic chances of podiums," he said, reinforcing that the expectations were high.
The 2017 Giro d'Italia route will be presented next week in Milan. Details are thin on the ground but the race, now in its centenary, is expected to be held entirely on Italian soil and with a number of iconic climbs included.
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