AG2R La Mondiale: Five riders confirmed for Tour

French ProTour team AG2R La Mondiale has confirmed five riders to participate in the upcoming Tour de France, starting in Monaco on July 4. The team will be led by Vladimir Efimkin and Cyril Dessel, with Stéphane Goubert, Lloyd Mondory and José-Luis Arrieta as the main helpers.

The remaining four riders to contest the event will be designated after the national championships' week-end at the end of the month. "Like last year, as usual, we will select the remainder of the Tour roster based on their performances at the French championships," AG2R La Mondiale press officer Céline Mazard told Cyclingnews. Six riders on the long list, namely Nicolas Roche, Ludovic Turpin, Rinaldo Nocentini, John Gadret, Sébastien Hinault, Hubert Dupont thus still have to earn their participation at the 'Grande Boucle'.

Morale within the squad is finally on the rise as the team had a long drought of results this first part of the season. As the Tour de Suisse unfolds, Tadej Valjavec retains the overall lead, and his teammate Nicolas Rousseau won the first stage of the Route du Sud.

"Turpin is coming back well, too, as he finished second in stage three of the Dauphiné. He was injured all of the end of last season and the beginning of this one," continued Mazard.

"As for Tadej [Valjavec], he will not come to the Tour because he had a baby girl in spring, so he preferred to aim at the Giro - where he finished within the top ten - and do the Vuelta later on."