CONTINUED strong performances at this year’s Tour de France could leave the Yates twins – Simon and Adam – with a big decision to make.

Matt White, sporting director of their current team, Orica GreenEdge, has tipped the Bury brothers as future contenders for the yellow jersey.

He wants the 22-year-olds to repay his faith by claiming a first-ever stage win in this year’s race, which is Adam’s debut at the Tour and Simon’s second attempt.

But the head of the Australian team may face a battle to hold on to them if they impress, with Team Sky boss Sir Dave Brailsford declaring an interest in signing the Yates twins for next season.

Both brothers held discussions with Brailsford before signing with Orica GreenEdge in 2014, and the British cycling supremo said at the time that it would make “absolute sense” if they would one day race for Team Sky.

And with their current deals running out at the end of this year, the Yates brothers could well be turning out in the same team as race favourite Chris Froome in 2016.

“It doesn’t take a genius [to figure it out],” Brailsford told Cycling Weekly.

“We are a British team ultimately, with a global roster and global race programme, but to have them would seem to make absolute sense.

“They’re in the right team, they made the right decision. They are getting their opportunities. Those opportunities are difficult to get in our team.

“It’s like going and doing your apprenticeship and learning, getting a lot of info. But at a certain point in time, we’d like to think they’d ride for Sky. For sure, absolutely.”

Whilst the interest from Brailsford is no doubt flattering for the rising talents, their progression as yellow jersey contenders may be slower in a team that includes a former winner in Froome.

White hinted in his pre-Tour press conference that they would be fast-tracked into a leading role at Orica GreenEdge, which is not currently set up to go for an overall win, instead concentrating on the green jersey, stage wins and the team time trial.

“As far as general classification goes, it’s not a goal and never has been a goal,” he added.

“I have said it before, but I think it would be pretty irresponsible for us to put pressure on the young fellas, the Yates boys, who we see as GC talents, in their first Tour de France that they are aiming to finish.

“These guys have shown throughout the year, and since joining the team, that they are very very capable of achieving some great results against the best guys in the world, but that is stages for us, not GC.”

The Yates brothers have made a solid start to this year’s race with Simon beating Froome in the opening stage's individual time trial and gaining a top 10 finish in the third stage.

But the main goal is to keep out of trouble in the first nine stages before the Tour moves on to the mountains and they successfully navigated the cobbles on Tuesday and were well placed in yesterday's stage at the time the Bury Times went to press.

The former Bury Clarion riders, who are known as talented climbers, are expected to come into their own in the second and third weeks of the 21-stage race, which includes six summit finishes in the Pyrenees and Alps, culminating in the famed 21-hairpin ascent of Alp d’Huez on the penultimate day.

Team Sky rider and fellow Brit Geraint Thomas, who hopes to guide Froome to victory in the mountains, expects to have Simon and Adam for company and has tipped them to claim a stage win.

“The Yates brothers are strong climbers and with the way the Tour is this year it is certainly a route that will favour the climbers,” he said.