Tour de France: Sir Dave Brailsford refuses to rule out one-two finish for Team Sky

Sir Dave Brailsford believes Chris Froome and Richie Porte will both shine

A year on from taking second behind Sir Bradley Wiggins, Chris Froome has stepped up into the leadership role and is the heavy favourite to secure back-to-back yellow jerseys for Team Sky.

The British squad once again have a second contender with potential to challenge for a place on the podium in the form of Australia's Richie Porte, and while Brailsford anticipates a number of other riders will challenge for overall victory, he believes his men could be the two outstanding riders in the race.

"Chris's main rivals will be whoever time trials and climbs the best," the Team Sky principal told Sky Sports. "On form this year, there is a whole host of guys who can step up.

"There is a younger generation of rider who could step up and be competitive. There are the usual suspects in [Alberto] Contador, [Alejandro] Valverde, [Joaquim] Rodriguez, who will be there or thereabouts.

"In Team Sky, with Richie Porte and Chris Froome, we have got the two, potentially, best riders in the race and we are focused on what we can do to win this race and control what we can control."

Plan B

Porte, 28, had spent the majority of his career riding as a domestique, but has enjoyed a breakthrough season in 2013, winning Paris-Nice in March and finishing second behind Froome at both the Criterium International and Criterium du Dauphine.

Brailsford insists Team Sky's focus for the Tour remains firmly on helping Froome claim the yellow jersey, but he is confident Porte can take up the mantle if required.

He added: "With Richie, he has had a fantastic year, he is one of the best riders in the world right now. There is no doubt about it. He is climbing brilliantly.

"Should anything happen to Chris in terms of his ambition to win the race, we need to make sure that we have somebody in contention who can then pick up that baton and run with it, should that situation arise.

"But we have got to be careful. If you think too much about Plan B, you might lose Plan A. It is a fine line to have two guys in contention and I think the key thing is to try and think about one guy winning."

The Tour starts on Saturday with a road stage in Corsica. Read our race guide here