🩷 @giroditalia 🩷 #DECATHLONAG2RLAMONDIALETEAM - @decathlonitalia @AG2RLAMONDIALE
Decathlon AG2R chases Giro podium with Ben O'Connor, Andrea Vendrame set to shine in the sprint
CyclingTuesday, 30 April 2024 at 10:37
Similar to UAE Emirates, Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale also did not feature any surprises in its selection for the Giro d'Italia (May 4-26). The French WorldTour team is targeting podium candidate Ben O'Connor, and the Australian is supported by an impressively strong climbing team.
This season, O'Connor is riding the positive AG2R wave. The French team underwent a complete makeover in January, which included opting for new equipment, which immediately paid off. The team has already racked up twelve victories, two of which were directly achieved by O'Connor. The Australian put himself in the spotlight early on with wins in Mallorca and the UAE Tour, and then performed exceptionally well in the Tirreno-Adriatico and the Tour of the Alps, where he narrowly missed out on the overall victory to the Spaniard Juan Pedro Lopez (Lidl-Trek).
"The preparation has been spot on," O'Connor stated in the press release. "Nothing is going wrong and every race before the Giro, so far, is going well. The fifth place in Tirreno-Adriatico shows that I was there to fight with the best in the race. We’ve got a pretty well-rounded team, the way the boys have been performing recently shows that they are in form and also ready. It should be a good time and I think we’re prepared for the race."
Decathlon AG2R still has trump cards in Valentin Paret-Peintre and Andrea Vendrame
In the Tour of the Alps, Valentin Paret-Peintre was particularly impressive on the climbs. The brother of Aurélien Paret-Peintre shone with four top-ten finishes out of the five stages and also placed fourth overall. The 23-year-old Frenchman is back again, alongside his five-year-older brother, who won a stage in the Giro last year, as well as compatriots Alex Baudin, Damien Touzé and Bastien Tronchon. Italian Andrea Vendrame will have his chances in the flat stages, while American Larry Warbasse takes on the role of road captain.
"Valentin has stepped up and shown that he can climb very well with the best riders while maintaining a good burst of speed for fast finishes. It’s been cool to see our team working effectively to achieve the best GC result possible. Larry will be there as a road captain. He's also such a good guy, we’ve spent more or less a month together since April during the high-altitude training, I’ve got a great friendship with him and it’s always cool to share it with a friend. Another journey is coming up through May and it’s nice to do it with this team."
Selection Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Giro d'Italia 2024
Ben O'Connor
Alex Baudin
Aurelien Paret-Peintre
Valentin Paret-Peintre
Damien Touzé
Bastien Tronchon
Andrea Vendrame
Larry Warbasse
🇮🇹 @giroditalia 🗓️ 04 - 26/05 🇦🇺 @ben_oconnor95 🇫🇷 @Alexbaudin73 🇫🇷 @AurelienParetP 🇫🇷 @Valent1_Paret 🇫🇷 @damientouze 🇫🇷 @BastienTronchon 🇮🇹Andrea Vendrame 🇺🇸 @larrywarbasse #DECATHLONAG2RLAMONDIALETEAM - @decathlonitalia @AG2RLAMONDIALE
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Latest Comments
- Well explained, thanks for the clarity! Daniel DantasDanieldantas20-12-2024
- This is the kind of 'news' that belongs in a cheap tabloid. No matter how boring the offseason gets, nobody wants to read this.
santiagobenites19-12-2024 - I wish we could have seen him try. He'd absolutely get dropped before Pogi overtakes his domestiquesVeganpotter10-12-2024
- Talk is cheap! Next year barring crashes with a healthy team... all well be on track! Some need to talk to make a headline!mootman27-11-2024
- I do not see this event listed on HBO Max Sports Online? Can anyone confirm? Thanks!
MrYuck23-11-2024 - It seemed that he was focusing forward at the time of the crash, after seeing a quick video snippet. But one thing I think he should focus on more intently is breaking a bad habit he has, right now. And that is his constant looking over his shoulders. He does that so much, that I am very sure it is not good for him. Simply watch videos of the greats of CX and you will see very little of that constant looking over their shoulders. That is a behavior that betrays a bit of insecurity on his part. He shouldn't be so concerned, incessantly, about what is over his shoulder. He needn't worry they didn't all disappear. He neds to keep his focus more ahead of himself, and he needs to pay a bit more attention to himself, in a confident manner. It is very frustrating to watch, because it is apparent that he has a lot of potential, and is in much better shape thwan many of his competitors, but the mental game needs to be sharpened more, because that part of strategy plays a huge part in the final results
reemmo022-11-2024 - hahahaha love this shit! I didnt even watched the race, but reading all the gossip articles of how stupid this is!Zatoichi19-11-2024
- Van Aert is really handsome. He can influence me all day! Ditto for Philipsen. Why do you think many of us love cycling?: to see heroic attempts at climbing mountains at high altitudes or to watch speedsters sprint for the finish line or to watch a human being ride at break neck speed down a tricky descent? No, it's all about their lean physiques and muscular legs. (apologies for objectifying these dedicated and amazing athletes).BarwonHeadsUp25-10-2024
- It is unfortunate that the author can't feel the joy that Pogacar brings to the sport and his fans who are legion and I for one feel lucky to have watched such a memorable performance and historic season From the Strada until yesterday with multiple wins in stages in both tours and beyond dominance in the World's. He is proud to wear the Rainbow stripes, shows his leadership to protect his fellows and is as courteous and sportsman-like as the sport allows. He goes early to not have to respond to each attack as all the rest would make him do it. Any racer who could would do the same. Don't "grow tired" of greatness as it is always fleeting.ccrider13-10-2024
- What load of rubbish. Pog is likely a once in a generation cyclist, the like of which hasn't been seen since 'the Cannibal '. How many people were complaining that Merckx was making racing predictable? I remember this year's World RR as one of the most exciting I've watched. Mainly BECAUSE Pog was the favourite and launched what everyone thought (Pog included) was a suicidal attack with 80km to go. For the next 2 hours, I was on the edge of my seat thinking "this is too much, even for Pog". Maybe Zonnefeld prefers the snooze-fest that is a bunch sprint? Like most people I know, I can't watch two hours of the bunch riding very fast... I wait for the final 5km and watch just the sprint. In any event, most races are won from a sprint or lone break. What difference does it make who makes the lone break? Ultimately, the other contenders will have to figure out a way to beat Pog. Even if that means collaboration between teams. It's going to be an exciting few seasons, until the next Pog arrives on the scene. If this is boring, heaven knows what exciting looks like!Michael513-10-2024