The 110th Grand Boucle will be held in conjunction with the 2023 Tour de France, which will run from July 1st to July 23rd.
Considered by many to be the pinnacle of the cycling season, the race that begins in Spain’s Basque Country will feature another series of exquisite performances over the course of three weeks! Every lineup in the race is examined by us.
Note: The grade is not about the team’s quality; rather, it is a subjective assessment of how well, in my opinion, the team is balanced and constructed with its goals in the race and how well I believe those goals fit.
The lineup of the AG2R Citroën team is Felix, Aurélien Paret-Peintre, Benoît Cosnefroy, Ben O’Connor, Oliver Naesen, and Nans Peters.
It is evident that this crew is committed to the GC; they believe in Ben O’Connor and want to help him reach the podium. The lack of Dorian Godon and Greg van Avermaet, who have both produced strong results in recent months, makes this evident.
The team is investing more of its resources in climbers rather than stage victories. Aurélien Paret-Peintre is in this lineup following a taxing Giro, and Clément Berthet’s inclusion further suggests a concentration on the mountains.
O’Connor finished on the podium of the Dauphiné and looked terrific, so it is not a big surprise. Felix Gall looked equally as good in Suisse and if he goes for stage hunting one could well fall for him. Benoît Cosnefroy was a certain whilst Nans Peters…
I would have Godon. But it’s not my decision. Lastly the team is completed by Oliver Naesen and Stan Dewulf who will clearly have the role of protecting O’Connor on the flat days, not chase wins. A team that has put more effort than expected in the GC, let’s see if it pays off or backfires.
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