Riding his second Tour de France, Simon Yates was twice in the breakaway last year and gave a good account of himself after his shock late call-up.

The Bury-born ace, though injury and a subsequently re-shuffled race calendar were one reason for his Tour inclusion, had earned his chance after taking to WorldTour racing like a duck to water.

His twin brother Adam stole the headlines prior to the Tour last year, but this season Simon has been in strong form with three top-ten overall finishes in WorldTour races.

Fifth in the Basque Country, sixth at the Tour de Romandie and fifth again at the Criterium du Dauphine proved his quality.

And he has been able to do all this without any pressure from team bosses, who are affording him somewhat of a free role again at the Tour with no plans to target the GC and the white jersey.

Yates pulled on the white jersey of best young rider at the Dauphine, and while Nairo Quintana is still eligible and a massive favourite for the jersey at the Tour, Simon Yates could still at least pulling it on for a few days.

Simon Yates at the Tour de France

2015 highlights: Tour of the Basque Country (fifth overall), Tour de Romandie (sixth overall), Criterium du Dauphine (fifth overall, best young rider).

Tour de France participations: one (2014)
Best overall finish: DNF (2014)
Stage wins: none

What to expect: Orica-GreenEDGE will give Simon Yates a free role, but he has already proved at the Dauphine he can climb with the best. Whether he can last the three-week distance remains to be seen, but he could be a man to watch in the mountains if the GC men are locked in a cat-and-mouse battle and allow the opportunist to fight for the stages instead.