Luke Rowe joked that he will need to brush up on his Spanish as he goes into the Tour de France as the only Brit in the Ineos Grenadiers team.

With Chris Froome and Geraint Thomas left out, the 30-year-old Rowe will start his sixth Tour lining up behind defending champion Egan Bernal of Colombia and the Ecuadorian Richard Carapaz.

Sir Dave Brailsford has insisted this remains a global team with a British heart, but Rowe said there was no denying a change of accent on the team bus.

"We've got four native Spanish speakers on the team," Rowe said. "They all speak pretty good English so that helps but it's got a slightly different feel.

Rowe said he was in tears when he climbed into the team car being driven by Portal, but a few hours later, by the time he got out at the stage finish, he was laughing and smiling.

"That's just the way Nico rubbed off on you," he said.

The team will carry their own tribute to Portal during the Tour, though not one visible to those watching as his name will be stitched on to the inside of their jerseys.

"He always had our backs," Rowe said. "Nobody needs to see it but we know it's there. He'll have our backs for the future and we'll try and do him proud over these next few weeks."

When the race begins in Nice on Saturday, it will do so in a city now on red alert amid a rise in coronavirus cases.

Rowe admitted there was a "strange vibe" as teams prepare in their bubbles, having waved goodbye to friends and family who they will not see again until the whole show is over.

Questions have been raised about whether or not the race will make it all the way to Paris, and Rowe said health and safety had to come first.

"I'm just part of this circus and whatever they say, are the rules, I've just got to abide by them," he said. "You can only have confidence in the organisation.

"Sport aside, we have to look at the bigger picture and protect ourselves and our families. This is the peak of our calendar and a national sporting event, it's a big deal, but some things come ahead of that.

"Hopefully we make it to Paris and have a good three-week battle, but health and safety has got to remain the number one priority and we're all on the same wavelength there."