Groupama-FDJ chooses a mix of experienced and young riders for the Tour with a clear goal in mind, leaving Küng at home

“Just like many other teams in the ‘midfield’ of the WorldTour peloton, our main goal is to win a stage,” said team boss Marc Madiot earlier. “After that, to finish as close as possible to the top riders, especially with Guillaume Martin. We have a good, close-knit team and we hope to achieve good results, building on what we showed in the Tour of Switzerland.”

Thanks to Romain Grégoire, Groupama-FDJ had a successful week in Switzerland. The Frenchman won the first stage and held onto the leader’s jersey for a long time. The 22-year-old rider from Besançon narrowly missed out on the French champion’s jersey this weekend, finishing second, but will head to the Tour in excellent form. On paper, Grégoire is also the team’s most dangerous name for a stage win, at least on paper.

Valentin Madouas will also start the Tour de France for the fifth consecutive year. The 28-year-old Frenchman once finished tenth overall three years ago, and he also came very close to a stage win. In stage sixteen to Foix, Madouas finished second behind stage winner Hugo Houle.

With Quentin Pacher (33), Clément Russo (30), Cyril Barthe (29), and Martin (32), Groupama-FDJ is bringing plenty of experience to the start in Lille. The latter, Guillaume Martin, will be participating in his ninth Tour de France on Saturday. In his previous eight appearances, he has never won a stage, although he has finished in the top ten overall twice. Last year, Martin finished thirteenth.

For the flat finishes, the team is counting on Paul Penhoët. The young Frenchman has only won twice in his career so far (both times in 2023), but he still seems to be the rider Groupama-FDJ will play in the bunch sprints. For the stages with slightly tougher finishes, the team can also rely on Lewis Askey. The 24-year-old Brit had a solid spring, celebrating victory twice.

Romain Grégoire