French ProTour team names riders in contention for July’s race team
AG2R-La Mondiale, the sole French ProTour team, has announced a list of 15 names from which its final nine-man Tour de France team will be taken. The team has confirmed that three riders have already been selected to take part, with the other six places being divided between 12 other riders.
Already guaranteed a place at the Tour is John Gadret; the cyclocross specialist rode a strong Giro d’Italia, eventually finishing 10th, and took third on the ultra-steep unsurfaced mountain time trial to the Plan de Corones. Also definitely included is Christophe Riblon, who finished 7th in last week’s Critérium du Dauphiné.
The third name to definitely be travelling to Rotterdam next month is that of Irish champion Nicolas Roche. The 25-year-old son of 1987 Tour winner Stephen Roche, was sidelined from racing with the torn hamstring that saw him abandon the Tour de Romandie at the end of April; he returned to racing last week with 4th place in the GP Kanton Aargau-Gippingen and is currently riding the Tour de Suisse.
On the list of 12 possible names are two former yellow jerseys Cyril Dessel and Rinaldo Nocentini. Nocentini took the jersey whilst part of a breakaway on the mountain stage to Ordino-Arcalis in Andorra and held on to it until eventual race-leader Alberto Contador seized it on the climb to Verbier, Switzerland. The Italian suffered a serious break to his leg and foot in the GP Insubria in February and, like Roche has only returned to racing at this week’s Tour de Suisse; his long lay off is a likely reason for the uncertainty over selection.
Also unsure of his place on the team is Vladimir Efimkin; the Russian signed for the team as its Grand Tour leader after finishing 6th in the 2007 Vuelta a España; he finished 10th in the 2008 Tour but failed to finish last year.
AG2R-La Mondiale team for the Tour de France:
Riders already selected:
John Gadret, Christophe Riblon and Nicolas Roche
Riders competing for the final six places:
Jose-Luis Arrieta, Maxime Bouet, Dimitri Champion, Cyril Dessel, Hubert Dupont, Vladimir Efimkin, Martin Elmiger, David Le Lay, Julien Loubet, Lloyd Mondory, Rinaldo Nocentini and Ludovic Turpin.