Cycling: The Groupama – FDJ team has been circling in professional cycling for many years. Now they are slowly opening up to international professionals. The 2022 season could therefore be even better.
Groupama - FDJ 2021: Almost without Pinot & Demaré
For a long time, the Groupama – FDJ team focused mainly on French drivers. But now the team is opening up more and more to talents and professionals from abroad - and that's noticeable. Although star pilot Thibaut Pinot didn't have a good year, you place yourself in a respectable ninth place in the UCI WorldTour ranking. We owe this to the Swiss, among other things Stefan Kung, who won a stage in the Tour de Suisse, became the Chrono des Nations, European time trial champion and fourth in the Olympic time trial. The Brit too Jake Stewart knew how to impress by taking a surprisingly strong second at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and sixth at Danilith Nokere Koerse. In doing so, he underlines that he is not a pure sprinter, but that he can also be expected in future classics. Nobody had on the bill at the Giro d'Italia Attila Valter. The Hungarian rode in the leader's jersey for several days and ended up fourteenth overall. With his twelfth place in the Lombardy Tour, the 23-year-old confirmed his talent. Despite all the internationality, the strongest man in the team was a Frenchman. david gaudu won a stage in the Tour of the Basque Country and was eleventh in the Tour de France. As third in Liège - Bastogne - Liège, he just missed the big coup. sprinter Arnaud Demare won Paris - Tour, but otherwise fell well short of expectations. Neither at the Vuelta a Espana nor at the Tour de France did he win a stage.
Groupama – FDJ 2022: Even more international
Find Thibaut Pinot and Arnaud Demare back to their old strength? If the question is answered with yes, the team can look forward to a successful year 2022. Because last season was not a little successful - and almost without top results from these two stars. In addition, the transfer period went well for the team. Six French – including Benjamin Thomas and William Bonnett - leave the team. But four drivers - including only one French - are added. So the team is becoming more international again. And stronger too, because Michael Storer from Australia has not only shown at the Vuelta a Espana this year that he is a really dangerous climber. At only 24, there is no doubt that he still has the potential to become a good GC driver. Quentin Pacher can help him with that. The Frenchman is strong in the mountains and shows himself again and again in breakaway groups. Dutchman Bram worlds is considered a sprinter talent, just like the 20-year-old Briton Lewis Askey, about which admittedly little is known. Both of the latter are certainly also used in one or the other classic.