With bother Adam out injured and unable to defend his Tour of Turkey crown, Simon Yates was reportedly offered the chance to lead Orica-Greenedge at the race. He turned the chance down to ride Fleche Wallonne and Liege-Bastogne-Liege.

“He’s an ambitious young fella,” sports director, Matt White told Cycling Weekly. “Nothing seems to faze him and Adam. Going to the Tour de France as a neo-pro and leading teams in WorldTour races.

“The Tour of Turkey is not a WorldTour race and he’s definitely capable of winning it. I gave him the chance to lead our team there. He thought about it for one day and came back to me the next day to say, ‘I’d rather chase stages and the overall in the Tour Romandie and have a chance in the Ardennes.”

After Adam crashed out of the Tour of the Basque Country on the opening day, Simon stepped up to the plate and seized sole leadership of the team, eventually taking fifth overall against some big names, which really impressed White.

“The Tour of the Basque Country is a good indication where someone stands,” White said. “If you can mix it there then you can go well in the Ardennes.”

“He was impressive,” White said. “He put time into those guys (Kwiatkowski, Rodriguez, Henao, Quintana and van Garderen). He was mixing it with the world’s best climbers, everyone but Chris Froome, Richie Porte and Alberto Contador was there.”

Wednesday’s Fleche Wallonne should suit Yates, who escaped on a climb in the Basque Country that was similar to the Mur de Huy and that allowed him to beat hot favourites for the race like Henao and Rodriguez.

“I’m confident, especially for the Flèche Wallonne,” White added. “Flèche is the most predictable, all the teams go into the Mur, where it’s whoever has the best legs. It’s predicable. If he’s recovered well, his legs can do the rest.”