Groupama-FDJ: ten top talents to usher in new era following departures of Démare and Pinot
CyclingSaturday, 25 November 2023 at 16:15
The cycling year 2023 has already come to an end, so we have plenty of time to take a look back at the past season, team by team. In this episode, IDLProCycling.com takes a deep dive into the performance of Groupama-FDJ, the team of Marc Madiot!
One-day races 2023: Groupama-FDJ
In terms of classics and other one-day races, the key players for Groupama-FDJ in 2023 were primarily Valentin Madouas and Stefan Küng. These two riders, perhaps slightly overshadowed by the likes of Mathieu van der Poel, Tadej Pogacar, Wout van Aert and Remco Evenepoel, performed exceptionally well nonetheless.
Consider the following: Madouas finished second in Strade Bianche, fifth in Liège-Bastogne-Liège and won significant races for Groupama-FDJ - such as the Bretagne Classic and the French National Championship. With a fifth place in Paris-Roubaix and the World Championships, and sixth places in the Tour of Flanders and E3 Saxo Classic, Küng also performed reliably strong.
Top talent Romain Grégoire started the year off well with an eighth place in Strade Bianche, but then fell back a bit in the one-day races. David Gaudu and Thibaut Pinot added some more honorary finishes in French races, while Arnaud Démare secured victory in the Brussels Cycling Classic, as a parting gift. Young talents Laurence Pithie (GP Cholet), Paul Penhoët (Tour du Finistere) and Lenny Martinez (Mont Ventoux Classic) also each contributed to the team's performance with victories of their own.
(Grand) tours 2023: Groupama-FDJ
If there's one race that's important for Groupama-FDJ, it's the Tour de France. Following Gaudu's fourth place, the team was secretly aiming for the podium this season, but to be honest, both the team and the rider fell short. The departure of Pinot definitely did bring in some publicity, but the performances were somewhat lacking.
In the Giro and Vuelta, however, the team showed its strength. Pinot made the entire Giro exciting and finished with a fifth place and the mountain jersey, although a stage win was the true goal. In the Vuelta, the team started with a very young lineup, in which Martinez was the highlight. The young rider wore the leader's jersey for several days.
Gaudu was on point in the spring at Paris-Nice, where he finished second. Additionally, Grégoire won both the Four Days of Dunkirk and the Tour du Limousin, while Michael Storer was the best in the Tour de l'Ain. These are not WorldTour races, but still notable achievements.
Final grade 2023 Groupama-FDJ
All in all, Groupama-FDJ has seen better years, particularly with more significant performances in the Tour de France. Otherwise, the team had a decent year, especially considering the young average age of the riders. A 6.3 is the final grade given by our (former) editorial members.
Transfers 2023/2024: Groupama-FDJ
Last year, Groupama-FDJ transferred nine (!) talents from the continental team, and this season, top talent Eddy Le Huitouze is added to the list. Looking at the rest of the incoming transfers, we mainly see experienced men for support. Marc Sarreau, Sven Erik Bystrom and Clement Russo are strong riders who can guide the young talents through spring and stage races.
Rémy Rochas is a shorter climber coming from Cofidis, while Cyril Barthe and Matthew Walls, with their fast legs, can also play a role in the development of some young sprinters. This makes sense, considering that the team also lost some talent and experience in this area with the departures of Miles Scotson, Bram Welten, Jake Stewart and Démare, who left back in August.
Besides Démare's departure, the retirement of Pinot is particularly notable, marking the end of an era for Madiot. In addition, Storer (Tudor) and the retired Matthieu Ladagnous have left the French team.
Incoming: Marc Sarreau (AG2R Citroën Team), Sven Erik Bystrom (Intermarché-Circus-Wanty), Rémy Rochas (Cofidis), Clement Russo (Arkéa Samsic), Cyril Barthe (Burgos-BH), Matthew Walls (BORA-hansgrohe) and Eddy Le Huitouze (continental team)
Outgoing (provisional list): Arnaud Démare, Miles Scotson (Arkéa Samsic), Thibaut Pinot, Matthieu Ladagnous (Stopped), Bram Welten (DSM firmenich-PostNL), Michael Storer (Tudor) and Jake Stewart (Israel-Premier Tech)
Ones to watch 2024: Groupama-FDJ
The 2024 lineup for Groupama-FDJ is quite exciting. David Gaudu and Valentin Madouas, now both 27 years old, should be looking at the upcoming season as a year to harvest success. These two gentlemen from Brittany will want and need to make their mark in the classics and grand tours, as there is nothing short of a small army of upcoming young talents behind them, ready to contend in the future.
Of course, we think of top talents Romain Grégoire and Lenny Martinez, the crown jewels. But several rides are also waiting in the wings to follow in Démare's footsteps: Paul Penhoët, Laurence Pithie, Lewis Askey and Samuel Watson all possess the abilities to excel in sprint races and classics, where the team also has key figure Stefan Küng.
(Provisional) selection Groupama-FDJ 2024
- Bruno Armirail
- Lewis Askey
- Cyril Barthe
- Sven Erik Bystrom
- Clément Davy
- David Gaudu
- Kevin Geniets
- Lorenzo Germani
- Romain Grégoire
- Ignatas Konovalovas
- Stefan Küng
- Olivier Le Gac
- Eddy Le Huitouze
- Fabian Lienhard
- Valentin Madouas
- Lenny Martinez
- Rudy Molard
- Quentin Pacher
- Enzo Paleni
- Paul Penhoët
- Laurence Pithie
- Rémy Rochas
- Clément Russo
- Marc Sarreau
- Reuben Thompson
- Lars van den Berg
- Matthew Walls
- Samuel Watson
Il Lombardia 2024
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Latest Comments
- 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
- This is not a gravel race. UCI fail, from the surface they are on to team tactics. In what country was the first "gravel race" in what country is the most popular gravel race? Go with the race model that created the discipline.
Barnes127411-10-2024 - And don't forget he has now won 4 of the big 10 races (Grand tours, Monuments and WC/OG) in one year with a chance to make that 5. (5 has only been done once before)Joostmehrtens05-10-2024