The full 2007 Agritubel roster(Image credit: Daniel Schamps)
Six Spaniards(Image credit: Daniel Schamps)
On Friday, January 5, the French Pro Continental team Agritubel held its official presentation at the Futuroscope, a scientific adventure park in Poitiers. Despite not being in the ProTour, the sqaud has high chances of getting a wildcard invitation for the next Tour de France, especially with the two leaders team manager David Fornès has signed for the upcomign season: Nicolas Jalabert, brother of Laurent, who came from Phonak, and Nicolas Vogondy, new to the outfit from Crédit Agricole. Furthermore, the team achieved a stage win at the "Grande Boucle" last year with Spaniard Juan Miguel Mercado.
Further goals for Agritubel, sponsored by a machinery manufacturer for the dairy industry, will be the French Cup series, the French national championships and another invitation to a Grand Tour, the Vuelta a Espana. To that effect, the squad lines up six Spanish riders, including the talented Moise Duenas, who won a stage in the Tour de l'Avenir last year. But Agritubel not only has climbers like Mercado or Duenas on its roster; also sprinters like Hans Dekkers and Mikel Gaztanga make the team a balanced one.
Looking to the future optimistically, the squad partly owned by Bernard Hinault - five times Tour de France winner and now an accomplished farmer in his Bretagne home - also builds on young talent, like the French Benoît Sinner, 2006 European U23 champion, and Romain Feillu, who got second in the 2006 U23 Road World's in Salzburg.
