With defending champion Egan Bernal of Colombia leading the Team Ineos charge, Britons Froome and Thomas will instead be deployed in the year's other Grand Tours.

Ecuador's Richard Carapaz, winner of the 2019 Giro d'Italia, is instead selected in the Tour de France squad.

A Team Ineos - formally Team Sky - rider has topped the Tour de France general classification in seven of the last eight races. 

"Selecting the right leader in the right race with the right support team is critical and has meant we have had to analyse all the latest information to make sure we are in the best position possible to optimise our performances in the coming months," team principal Sir Dave Brailsford said.

"Egan will once again target the yellow jersey in France and we are very excited to give last year’s Giro winner, Richard Carapaz, his debut in this year’s Tour also. 

"Geraint will target the Giro and take on the opportunity to double up his Tour de France win with another Grand Tour title, with the aim of being the first Welshman to win it. 

"In turn, Chris Froome will target the Vuelta. 

"Chris is a legend of our sport, a true champion who has demonstrated incredible grit and determination to come back from his crash last year. 

"We want to support him to compete for another Grand Tour title and the Vuelta gives him that little bit more time to continue his progress to the top level."

Froome suffered multiple serious injuries after crashing during a practice ride before stage four of the Critérium du Dauphiné in France in June 2019.

The Kenyan-born rider - a seven-time Grand Tour winner - is to join Israel Start-Up Nation next season.

Froome is a two-time Olympic bronze medallist, having come third in road time trails in 2012 and 2016.

On the track, Thomas won a pair of Olympic gold medals in the team pursuit in 2008 and 2012.

Team Ineos' sweeping success has not come without controversy.

Most notably, Froome tested positive for salbutamol  at the 2017 Vuelta a España, but was ultimately cleared by the International Cycling Union after it was deemed that his sample results did not constitute an adverse analytical finding.

The Tour de France is due to begin on August 29 in Nice.

The Giro d’Italia and Vuelta a España overlap this year because of disruption to the calendar caused by the coronavirus pandemic. 

Both the Giro d'Italia and Tour de France were postponed because of the global health crisis.