The AG2R Citroën team will be structured around its Australian leader Ben O’Connor in the next Tour de France, with the Luxembourger Bob Jungels but without the former Belgian yellow jersey Greg Van Avermaet. Fourth in the Tour last year, O’Connor (26) will compete in the Tour for the second time.
The formation of Vincent Lavenu, who announced the composition of his group on Thursday, trusted Jungels, who returned to form during the recent Tour de Suisse. She also called on Geoffrey Bouchard, who will discover the Tour at the age of 30 after having taken the classification of the mountain of the Vuelta then of the Giro.
With Bouchard, the Belgian Stan Dewulf is the only other neophyte in the group who has integrated Mikael Cherel, the only one of the eight riders to have taken part in the Giro in May. Aged 37, Van Avermaet won two stages of the Tour in 2015 and 2016. The Rio Olympic champion wore the yellow jersey for 11 days (in 2016 and 2018).
Vincent Lavenu’s explanations
“It’s a difficult decision to deprive yourself of a charismatic runner, with a strong track record”underlined Vincent Lavenu. “The sporting aspect, in relation to the mountain, predominated. Last year, Greg was close to elimination”. The team boss was delighted with the return to high level of Jungels, after health problems which ruined his year 2021: “Bob will have spaces of freedom to try to win stages. But he will also have to put himself at the service of Ben (O’Connor) to accompany him as high as possible.”
The AG2R Citroën team at the Tour de France (July 1 to 24): Ben O’Connor (AUS), Geoffroy Bouchard (FRA), Mikaël Chérel (FRA), Benoît Cosnefroy (FRA), Stan Dewulf (BEL), Bob Jungels (LUX), Oliver Naesen (BEL), Aurélien Paret-Peintre (FRA).