Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale targets GC and stage wins with Gall and a young rising star

The 27-year-old Gall made a great impression in the Tour, where he was at the front from start to finish. Of course, La Grande Boucle demanded a lot from him. “This Vuelta a España will be my second Grand Tour of the season. Over the past few weeks, I have mainly focused on recovery, because the short time between the Tour de France and the Vuelta is quite challenging,” Gall explained in a press release. The top climber has not been in action since the Tour.

Hopefully, that won't be an obstacle. “I feel fit and ready now. There are a lot of tough stages in this Vuelta, and they will come quickly, so I will soon know where I stand physically and in terms of my ambitions.” The Vuelta already has an uphill finish in the second stage towards Limone in Piedmont. There he will be well supported by his team. “We have a very strong and well-balanced team, with riders for every type of stage.”

Sports director Julien Jurdie hopes that Gall can repeat his feat in the Tour, but is aiming for more than just the Austrian. “This Vuelta offers us a demanding course and promises to be extremely exciting. We are heading there with a dual objective: on the one hand, we want to achieve the best possible classification with Felix Gall, and on the other hand, we want to go all-in to secure a stage victory.”

Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale will be looking to shine in the high mountains in particular: not only Gall will be there, but also climbers such as Bruno Armirail, Johannes Staune-Mittet, and the very young Léo Bisiaux. “We have a team that is built to tackle the mountain stages, with strong climbers who will naturally support Felix but also look for opportunities in the breakaways.” The rest of the team consists of Sander De Pestel, Jordan Labrosse, Nans Peters, and Callum Scotson.