Team Sky will start the Giro d'Italia with Geraint Thomas and Mikel Landa as equal team leaders and both attended the pre-race press conference on Friday afternoon, showing a united front as they prepare to begin three weeks of hard racing.
Both the Welshman and the Basque climber can each make legitimate claims to a place to the final podium in Milan. Neither has a Grand Tour victory on their palmares, but this year's Giro d'Italia is a key moment in their respective careers.
In the absence of team manager Dave Brailsford, lead directeur sportif Dario Cioni attended the press conference with his team leaders. He refused to award more leadership stripes to one or the other.
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"They're both team captains, we've got two leaders and they start the race at the same level," Cioni said.
"We chose Geraint because he deserved a shot at a Grand Tour. Mikel has already been on the podium and can do better. We're lucky to have them and it will be a big advantage we can use in the final week."
No tension, no eye contact
Thomas and Landa sat side by side, taking turns to answer different questions from television and written media. There was little eye contact between the two but also no hint of tension. Any possible rivalry has still to emerge and if it does, will only do so late in the Giro d'Italia as they fight in the mountains for the best placing in the final general classification close to Milan.
Fluent, ambitious and on form
Playing a waiting game
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