The FDJ line up for the Tour de France has been announced, and is without the team’s big winter signing Pierrick Fédrigo. The three-time Tour stage winner has had a relatively quiet season to date and has decided not to start the race thanks to poor form, fatigue and a niggling back injury.
"[Team manager] Marc Madiot asked me what I wanted to do, and I told him that I did not want to go,” Fédrigo explained. “I need vacation. I am at the bottom of a hole. I need to rest, need to look after myself, because I’ve not managed to get rid of my back problems.
“Go to the Tour without being 100%, would not do any good at all!”
Fédrigo had raced for Bbox Bouygues Telecom (now Europcar) since 2005, leaving at the end of last year over worries about the team finding a new sponsor. The rider known as the Nose of Marmande has ridden every Tour since 2003, and finished every edition besides that debut. His three stages have all come from breakaways, in 2006, 2009 and last year, when he outsprinted the lead group that included seven-time race winner Lance Armstrong in Pau.
In the absence of Fédrigo FDJ has no obvious leader, although it does include another three-time stage winner in Sandy Casar;; the team’s aim will be to chase stage victories.
Most of the team is experienced at this level, but Gianni Meersman, Arnold Jeannesson and Arthur Vichot will be making their Tour debuts.
FDJ Team for the Tour de France:
William Bonnet, Sandy Casar, Mickaël Delage, Arnold Jeannesson, Gianni Meersman, Remi Pauriol, Anthony Roux, Jérémy Roy and Arthur Vichot