Chris Froome has insisted that racing with Sir Bradley Wiggins in this year's Tour de France would not have been a problem.
Team Sky elected to leave Wiggins out of the squad which is looking to secure a second successive victory in the race for Froome, but the defending champion has dismissed suggestions that their relationship was not a factor in general manager Dave Brailsford's decision.
"Just to make it absolutely clear, I do not have a role in selection," the 29-year-old told Sky Sports News.
"I do speak to Dave Brailsford about the group of guys I have been racing with, but if you look at how a tour team is generally selected, the guys doing a tour will be doing altitude camps together really quite early on in the season, racing together as a group. We really are a tight-knit group."
"It would definitely change the dynamic of the team having Bradley on the team, but that is bike racing. You are not always going to be best friends with everyone on the team all the time."
The Tour de France begins in Yorkshire on Saturday.
