Oliver Naesen leads AG2R La Mondiale at Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana
Jan 30 2018 09:12 pm CET
SUBSCRIBE TO RSS FEEDSAG2R La Mondiale is the latest WorldTour team to unveil its line-up for the first European stage race of the season, the Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana.
Belgian Oliver Naesen will, just like last year, start his season at the Spanish race. The national champion had a successful off-season and is now ready to return to action.
"Just like last year, I have decided to return to the competition at the Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana," Naesen said. "I'm happy to pin on a bib. It's a difficult race, but that won’t be a problem for me.
"My winter has been good, I have not been slowed down by health problems, and I feel like I'm a little stronger than last year. In the offseason, I spent six weeks in Spain to train under ideal conditions. And then during the training camps with the team, I saw that the group has melded together, with everyone motivated and ready to fight."
The 27-year-old will use the Volta and the Ruta del Sol, also in Spain, to prepare for the spring classics starting with the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad on February 24.
Naesen will be joined by French riders François Bidard, Clement Chevrier, Axel Domont, Cyril Gautier, Clement Venturini and Alexis Vuillermoz.
