- Primoz Roglic confirmed his participation to the Tour de France despite his crash at the Critérium du Dauphiné.
- French teams aim for stage victories in priority: AG2R-La Mondiale with Romain Bardet and Benoît Cosnefroy, Cofidis with Elia Viviani and Guillaume Martin.
- The teams’ presentation of the 107th Tour de France took place on Masséna square in Nice in style but in front of a limited number of people due to Covid-19 restrictions.
PRIMOZ ROGLIC: “I’M HAPPY TO HAVE MANAGED TO START THE TOUR”
Jumbo-Visma is one of the super powers for the general classification of the Tour de France for the first time, having combined the forces of Primoz Roglic and Tom Dumoulin who used to be rivals. “When Tom was my opponent, I tried to learn something from him because he was in front of me in those years”, the Slovenian said. “My impression of Primoz before was that he was very focused on himself”, the Dutchman echoed. “My opinion changed when I got to know him better, he’s very nice guy but still focused on performing at his best.” Roglic’s participation was in doubt after his crash at the Critérium du Dauphiné. “I’m happy that I managed to be at the start of the Tour de France”, he outlined. “I take it as a good news. It’s nice to be here in Nice.” Dumoulin came back from a longer recovery after more than a year without racing. “I’ve improved my condition during the Tour de l’Ain and the Dauphiné”, he noted. “I needed those races. It’s a good feeling to be on the start line of the Tour de France. It won’t be the same without Steven Kruijswijk who would have been one of the best riders of the race. His absence forces us to change our tactics a little bit. Now it’s Primoz or me who goes for GC. Our aim is to be close to the podium in the last week of the Tour.”
ELIA VIVIANI AND GUILLAUME MARTIN AIM AT ENDING COFIDIS’ DROUGHT
It’s Tour de France number 24 for Cofidis. But the French squad hasn’t won a single stage for twelve years [since Sylvain Chavanel in Montluçon in 2008]. “This is probably the reason why I’m in the Cofidis jersey now”, said Elia Viviani who is no longer the reigning European champion. “I don’t feel the pressure of these twelve years but I’d be proud to be the one who puts an end to Cofidis’ drought.” The Italian is one of the favorites for stage 1 on Saturday. He expressed his faith in his lead out men Christophe Laporte and Simone Consonni. Guillaume Martin, the other leader of the team, played down his chances to win stage 2 as he expects a regrouping after the last climb. “Stage 4 to Orcières-Merlette suits me more”, the Frenchman said. “A stage win is the primary goal of the Cofidis team. However, my achievements in August [third of the Critérium du Dauphiné] can give me ambitions for GC as well. It’s not in my nature to sit up on purpose and lose time in order to increase my chances for a stage win.”
ROMAIN BARDET TO RACE AGGRESSIVELY
Following the announcement by AG2R-La Mondiale’s team manager Vincent Lavenu that they target a final position between fifth and tenth overall, team captain Romain Bardet expressed a different goal. “The main thing for me isn’t riding for GC but taking advantage of the profile of this year’s Tour de France for racing offensively”, stated the French winner of the polka dot jersey last year. “Therefore I’ll race aggressively. I want to win a mountain stage and I’ll remain attentive in order to compete for the yellow jersey at some stage. The course has been designed for an eventful race and regular changes of overall ranking leadership. But there are also two teams [Ineos-Grenadiers and Jumbo-Visma] able to make the race monotonous, so we’ll have to figure out how to make a difference. Primoz Roglic is above everyone else and there are several challengers potentially at the same level. I’m optimistic about my possibilities to do well. Leaving AG2R-La Mondiale at the end of the year increases the intensity of every moment I have left with this team.” The French outfit also introduced Benoît Cosnefroy, Oliver Naesen and Pierre Latour as riders going to hunt for a stage victory.
