cycling: Team presentations 2018: AG2R La Mondiale

Cycling: The year is coming to an end. The professional cyclists are already in full training for the new season. Time for us to take a closer look at all 18 WorldTour teams. What has changed? What has the team achieved this year and what goals are on the wish list for 2018? We start with the French team AG2R La Mondiale around classification driver Romain Bardet, the classic hunter Oliver naesen and the Germans Nico Denz.

Everything revolves around Romain Bardet

With 6.316 points, the French team AG2R LA MONDIALE ranks #9 in the UCI WorldTour ranking of teams at the end of the season. The team hasn't been this good since 2014. Romain Bardet was once again decisive for this good result. The French classification driver particularly impressed at the Tour de France. He finished in the top nine for the fourth time in a row, and ended up on the podium for the second time in a row. In the end, he was only 2:20 minutes behind overall winner Chris Froome (Sky) in third place. Unfortunately, he was only able to give his team one win in the twelve months. This was the most important of the year: Bardet triumphed on the 12th stage of the Tour de France. Domenico Pozzovivo got the only other win at WorldTour level. The Italian, who will leave the team, won part of the Tour de Suisse.

AG2R has the future firmly in mind

For years, the AG2R team has been in the middle of the WorldTour rankings. The decisive factor for this has never been numerous victories, but always a solid team performance. Although there is sometimes a clear captain, many pilots are often given a free ride and are therefore allowed to drive for their own result. AG2R has always been hoarding the points together like this. The fans of the French team don't have to worry about the future either. With Benoit Cosnefroy they have already secured the next huge talent during the season. He promptly won the U23 Road World Championships. Oliver Naesen is expected to make a breakthrough in the classics in the near future. The Belgian champion should be able to compete for the really big victories in the spring. Pierre Latour is also likely to take the next step in 2018. The Frenchman is considered a tour driver talent and can grow alongside Romain Bardet.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iCzrwGmg014&t=84s

Solid transfers underpin the team's philosophy

With Julien Berard and Christophe Riblon, two AG2R drivers have retired. Above all, the name Riblon is of course well known to cycling fans. In recent years, however, the Frenchman has not been able to reach his maximum performance. The loss of Domenico Pozzovivo hurts much more. The little Italian was always aggressive in the mountains and therefore fitted perfectly into the AG2R jersey. He is drawn to Bahrain-Merida, Hugo Houle to Astana. Sondre Holst Enger joins the Israel Cycling Academy. Thus, AG2R has given up its only sprinter. The young Frenchman Clement Venturini from Cofidis has now been snapped up for this. The 24-year-old should mature into a top sprinter and close the gap. The other two newcomers have already found their place in professional cycling. With Silvan Dillier from BMC and Tony Gallopin from Lotto-Soudal, two seasoned drivers have been signed. They fit perfectly with the AG2R philosophy: aggressive, active & persistent.

Time to build for the next season, checking my @FactorBikes, , doing some core training and enjoying our stay in the sunny Spain with the @AG2RLMCycling Buddies, putting the miles in! #BacktoBasics pic.twitter.com/sZQTHGBcdU

— Romain Bardet (@romainbardet) 9 December 2017