French ProTour team AG2R La Mondiale today announced their complete 28-rider roster for the 2010 season. The squad will welcome seven newcomers, including two neo-pros.
Frenchman Julien Berard, 22, and Luxembourger Ben Gastauer, 22, have been recruited from French amateur squad and AG2R-feeder team Chambéry Cycling Training for their debut professional seasons.
Gastauer's has signed for the team after riding as a stagiaire since the start of August. In June, he won the opening stage and the overall title at the three-day Tour des Pays de Savoie.
Berard, too, has previous experience with AG2R, having ridden as a stagiaire with the squad in the latter half of 2008. He returned to the amateur level for this season, where he claimed stage victories at the Ronde de l'Isard and Tour de l'Avenir.
The two youngsters will join an influx of former-Agritubel riders to the team. Maxime Bouet, David Le Lay and Anthony Ravard were confirmed during this year's Tour de France. French road race champion, Dimitri Champion, and Belgian Kristof Goddaert (from Topsport Vlaanderen) complete the list of riders to will swap their current jerseys for AG2R colours.
AG2R hope that the new riders will improve the team's prospects of victory in 2010. Despite Rinaldo Nocentini's eight-stage possession of the leader's jersey at this year's Tour de France, AG2R had a disappointing season. The last of their five their five victories occurred close to three months before the end of the season on stage three at the Tour de l'Ain.
| José Luis Arrieta (Spain) | 38 | (age) |
| Guillaume Bonnafond (France) | 22 | Row 1 - Cell 2 |
| Cyril Dessel (France) | 35 | Row 2 - Cell 2 |
| Hubert Dupont (France) | 29 | Row 3 - Cell 2 |
| Alexander Efimkin (Russia) | 28 | Row 4 - Cell 2 |
| Vladimir Efimkin (Russia) | 28 | Row 5 - Cell 2 |
| Martin Elmiger (Switzerland) | 31 | Row 6 - Cell 2 |
| John Gadret (France) | 30 | Row 7 - Cell 2 |
| Sebastien Hinault (France) | 35 | Row 8 - Cell 2 |
| Blel Kadri (France) | 23 | Row 9 - Cell 2 |
| Yuriy Krivtsov (Ukraine) | 30 | Row 10 - Cell 2 |
| Julien Loubet (France) | 24 | Row 11 - Cell 2 |
| Rene Mandri (Estonia) | 25 | Row 12 - Cell 2 |
| Lloyd Mondory (France) | 27 | Row 13 - Cell 2 |
| Rinaldo Nocentini (Italy) | 32 | Row 14 - Cell 2 |
| Christophe Riblon(France) | 28 | Row 15 - Cell 2 |
| Nicolas Roche (Ireland) | 25 | Row 16 - Cell 2 |
| Nicolas Rousseau (France) | 26 | Row 17 - Cell 2 |
| Gatis Smukulis (Latvia) | 22 | Row 18 - Cell 2 |
| Ludovic Turpin (France) | 34 | Row 19 - Cell 2 |
| Tadej Valjavec (Slovenia) | 32 | Row 20 - Cell 2 |
| Julien Berard (France - from Chambéry Cycling Training) | 22 | (age) |
| Maxime Bouet (France - from Agritubel) | 23 | Row 1 - Cell 2 |
| Dimitri Champion (France - from Brittany Schuller) | 26 | Row 2 - Cell 2 |
| Ben Gastauer (Luxembourg - from Chambéry Cycling Training) | 22 | Row 3 - Cell 2 |
| Kristof Goddaert (Belgium - from Topsport Vlaanderen) | 23 | Row 4 - Cell 2 |
| David Le Lay (France - from Agritubel) | 30 | Row 5 - Cell 2 |
| Anthony Ravard (France - from Agritubel) | 26 | Row 6 - Cell 2 |
| Vincent Lavenu - General Manager |
| Laurent Biondi - Sports Director |
| Julian Jurdi - Sports Director |
| Gilles Mas - Sports Director |
| Arturas Kasputis - Sports Director |
| Didier Jannel - Sports Director |
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