After confirming he wont target the GC of the Tour de France in his debut participation, Adam Yates of Orica-Greenedge is looking to go stage hunting in the Tour de France’s mountains.

Adam told Sky Sports: “I will be looking at the mountain stages. If the general classification guys let the breakaway go, hopefully myself or my brother (Simon) can get in the break and make something happen. We have shown in the past that we can both climb with the best in the world on a good day.”

“We haven’t really identified any stages in particular. The first mountain stages are on stage 10, 11 and 12, so it will just be a case of identifying and taking opportunities. There isn’t one particular stage we are pinning our hopes on.”

One stage he won’t be targeting is stage four over the cobbles, which he says he doesn’t like riding on.

“The fourth stage is dangerous. I’m biased because I don’t like cobbles. We risk our lives every day just on normal flat roads – I broke my hand in the Tour of the Basque Country – so when you add cobbles in there, it’s an added danger. On that day I will just be at the back trying to stay out of danger as much as possible.”

Yates has finished his debut Grand Tour at last year’s Vuelta, and says while he knows the Tour is a different beast, he is still looking to do well.

“I’m really excited to be here,” he added. “I have ridden the Vuelta, but from what everyone tells me, the Tour is on another level to any other race you do all year. Everyone peaks for this particular race and it’s also so much bigger away from the racing.”

“Hopefully I should be stronger than I was at the Vuelta. It was the end of the season and my form was beginning to dip, whereas I have targeted the Tour all year and, hopefully, I should be peaking.”

While he and twin brother Simon have been given the same job by their Australian team, Adam says they can use that to their advantage in their quest to win stages.

“Simon and I both have similar roles and ambitions at the Tour, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. I would like to think we can help each other rather than get in each other’s way.”

“Sometimes at the Tour there are 20 or 30 guys in the breakaway, so if we can both get into one of those, we can definitely work together.”