Marc Madiot is optimistic about his young guns for the 2012 season
FDJ-BigMat's Manager, Marc Madiot, is keen to rely on his young riders for the coming season. The team regained its World Tour licence for the 2012 season. Arnold Jeannesson, Thibaut Pinot and Arnaud Demare are the key cyclists for the French side.
Team FDJ was founded in 1997 and is sponsored by the French national lottery since its beginning.
Just before the start of the current season, French building merchants, by the name of BigMat, contributed €2 million to the team and joined as a co-sponsor.
Former road cyclist, Marc Madiot is the team’s General Manager, who aims for an improved performance of his side during the 2012 season.
Ouest France quoted him as saying, “We’re going to really give them their responsibilities, have them express themselves at 100 percent of their capabilities, Perhaps they will find it difficult to win the first year, but the objective is to put them in
the role of leader as often as possible, racing at the front”.
Thibaut Pinot joined Team FDJ in 2010 and is eyeing to make his Tour de France debut in the season ahead.
Another youngster in the team, Arnaud Demare, will make his Grand Tour appearance at the Giro d’ Italia 2012.
Madiot is also keen on sending Thibaut Pinot at the Vuelta a Espana 2012. Arnold Jeannesson, who finished 15th overall at the Tour de France, will lead the FDJ-BigMat squad at the 2012 edition of the French Grand Tour.
Marc stated, “Jeannesson is going to be protected and have teammates who are going to shelter him from the wind and bring him up to the front of the race”.
The full FDJ roster for the season has the following French cyclists on its squad: William Bonnet, David Boucher, Nacer Bouhanni, Sandy Casar, Steve Chainel, Arnaud Courteille, Pierrick Fedrigo, Arnaud Gerard, Anthony Geslin and Frederic Guesdon.
The team will also be accompanied by Arnold Jeannesson, Mathieu Ladagnous, Francis Mourey, Yoann Offredo, Remi Pauriol, Cedric Pineau, Thibaut Pinot, Anthony Roux, Jeremy Roy Geoffrey Soupe, Benoit Vaugrenard and Arthur Vichot.
The non-French cyclists on the team are: Yauheni Hutarovich from Belarus, Gabriel Rasch of Norway, Dominique Rollin from Canada and Gabriel Rasch also from Norway.
Only time will tell if the young guns on the French squad can meet the expectations of their manager by dominating the season ahead.
Tags: