The two Manchois Benoit Cosnefroy and Michael Cherel (Ag2R Citroën) had already known for several days that they would be at the start of the Tour de France 2022, the same for Ornais William Martin, leader of the Cofidis team. This Monday the B & B Hotels-KTM team announced that the Haute-Norman rider Alexis Gougeard was selected, and the other Breton team Arkea-Samsic also announced its team for the Tour de France: Matis Louvel the Rouennais is in the group.
They will therefore be 5 Normans in the peloton of the Tour 2022.
The Cofidis team announced Monday to present two leaders, the French Guillaume Martin and the Spaniard Ion Izagirre, at the start of the Tour de France (July 1 to 24). Guillaume Martin (29) will compete for the sixth time in the Grande Boucle, which he finished first French last year, in 8th place.
“We will have to see how I recovered from the Giro. It’s a particular sequence, it’s been three years since I chained two big Tours in a row and there is perhaps a general fatigue that has set in“, said Martin, quoted by his team. “I really don’t want to put unnecessary pressure on myself and take risks for the general classification. The goal will be to pass this first week without incident and if I lose a little time, it does not matter. Then, there will be quite a few stages which will be conducive to breakaways“, estimated the Norman climber
Matis Louvel, the neophyte on the Tour
At Arkea-Samsic, Warren Barguil for the stages, and the Colombian Nairo Quintana for the general classification will be the leaders, but the team has been largely renewed. Briton Connor Swift is the only rider to have kept his starting position compared to last year. Three riders, the Polish Lukas Owsian, assigned to the protection of Quintana, the Belgian sprinter Amaury Capiot and the French hopeful Matis Louvel will discover the Tour. The rider from Mont Saint Aignan did a good Dauphiné and showed himself during the road race of the French Championship in Cholet, this Sunday.
Alexis Gougeard from Rouen alongside Pierre Rolland
On the side of B & B Hotels-KTM, Alexis Gougeard has therefore learned of his selection at the end of the French championships, this will be his third major loop. He will support his leaders, Pierre Rolland and Franck Bonnamour. The Breton team of Jérôme Pineau will also launch three neophytes Jérémy Lecroq (27 years old), the Italian sprinter Luca Mozzato (24 years old) and the Austrian Sebastian Schönberger (28 years old).