AG2R La Mondiale Pro Cycling Team (Italy) – Press Release: Here they are! 8 riders ready to tackle the first Grand Tour of the season!

FRANCOIS BIDARD:

• Born on March 19, 1992, 26 years old
• Height / weight: 1m80 / 65 kg
• Giro: 2nd participation
• Best result: 39th (2016)
• 2018: 2 top ten

“François has participated in one Grand Tour a year since he turned pro in 2016. And we have seen since the beginning of this year that he has progressed physically. He is able to get over the climbs, and he has a fantastic sprint. He certainly could be one of the surprises in this Giro d’Italia.”

MIKAEL CHEREL:

• Born on March 17, 1986, 32 years old
• Height / weight: 1m85 / 65 kg
• Giro: 3rd participation
• Best result: 61e
• 2018: 10 top twenty

“A crash last spring kept him out of competition for several months. So now Mikaël returns to the Giro d’Italia, seven years after his last participation. He no longer needs to prove his strength in three week stage races. He has already finished in the top-20 of the Tour de France (18th in 2015), so we expect him to be an important rider to keep our team classification high. He is very motivated, has prepared very well for this Giro, and has the strength to win a stage.”

NICO DENZ:

• Born on February 15, 1994, 24 years old
• Height / Weight: 1m83 / 71 kg
• Giro: 1st participation
• 2018: 1 top ten

“After having spent the first part of the year as a member of our classics team, Nico will now race his first Giro d’Italia. He’s no stranger to the bumping of elbows and rubbing shoulders, so he will be a useful protector for our leader.”

HUBERT DUPONT:

• Born on November 13, 1980, 37 years old
• Height / Weight: 1m74 / 58 kg
• Giro: 11th participation
• Best result: 11th (2011-2016)
• 2018: 3 top ten

“With Hubert, we are rarely surprised! At 37, he will start his 21st Grand Tour. He continues to be an exemplary professional, and always willing and able to transcend himself for his leader. He takes his role as the road captain to heart. He likes the Giro d’Italia, and he has already shown in the past that he is able to compete with the best in the mountain since he has twice before finished 11th at the Giro in the general classification, which is not an easy thing to accomplish.”

ALEXANDRE GENIEZ:

• Born on April 16, 1988, 30 years old
• Height / weight: 1m82 / 64 kg
• Giro: 5th participation
• Best result: 9th (2015)
• 2018: 1st Grand Prix de la Marseillaise / Prologue and GC Tour de la Provence

“Alexandre has had a good start to the season with three wins. He has finished in the top ten overall of the Giro d’Italia in the past, and is motivated to play again for the general classification. He, Mattéo Montaguti and Mikaël Cherel recently all took part in a good 15-day training camp in Sicily where they pre-road some of the stages there. I’m sure this will pay dividends since we know he has the ability to finish in the Top 10 again.”

QUENTIN JAUREGUI:

• Born on April 22, 1994, 24 years old
• Height / Weight: 1m76 / 60 kg
• Giro: 2nd participation
• Best result: 90th
• 2018: 2 top ten

“At 24, Quentin has grown in maturity and experience. He is about to participate in his third Grand Tour. Similarly to Nico Denz, he will first have a role of protecting our leader during the initial stages that are often very nervous in a race of three weeks. He also has a good sprint, so if he can come to the finish in the lead with a small group, he can go for the win.”

MATTEO MONTAGUTI:

• Born on January 6th, 1984, 34 years old
• Height / weight: 1m81 / 65 kg
• Giro: 8th participation
• Best result: 19th (2016)
• 2018: 1 top ten

“Mattéo is a very skilled and professional rider, who often acts as the jack of all trades for the team! When he’s on his game, he can limit the damage in the mountains, he can race at the front of hilly stages and has a good turn of speed. As an experienced racer, he will also play the role of road captain and main protector for Alexandre Geniez. In 2016, he came close to his own stage victory (2nd), so he certainly can win a stage and knows the roads of the Giro well.”

CLEMENT VENTURINI:

• Born on October 16, 1993, 24 years old
• Height / weight: 1m65 / 60 kg
• Giro: 1st participation
• 2018: 8 top ten

“Clément will be the only Grand Tour neophyte for our team at the Giro d’Italia. He’s had a good start to the season, and he has been circling that great victory all year. Now he will discover how to manage himself over a three week race, but I think he is already capable of a great performance. He is a strong puncheur, which he proved last year in is victory at the Four Days of Dunkirk, and he has a strong sprint. He could surprise more than one!”

THE NUMBER 19:
Nineteen years after participating as a rider, Stéphane Goubert returns to the Giro d’Italia. He will be one of the team’s three sports directors along with Laurent Biondi and Arturas Kasputis.