AG2R - La Mondiale could need a thread

[BlueRoads]

I think GVA did a good spring all things considered. He's getting old and it's hard to compete with those monsters, but he's still very close.
Naesen was mediocre.
Cosnefroy was coming back from an injury.
Paret-Peintre is a good rider but doesn't deserve (yet?) to be on that list.
Jungels has been abysmal since the beginning of 2021. Post DQS hangover? He didn't realy have a chance to show his form in the Ardennes though.

Overall a below expectations spring campaign, but I didn't expect them to set the world on fire in the first place.

I was quite interested to see what it would be like with them going more into the classics' direction. They sure had a few issues with injuries. Van Avermaet was quite good. (Jungels, honestly, I never believed in him as a rider that much and wasn't surprised QS let him go. In my eyes he overachieved already. He might prove me wrong once he's settled at AG2R.) But I was more thinking about how they play it all, and whether they will go down this route further or go back into GC direction mid-term.

 

[42x16ss]

Now, this was not such a great spring campaign for a team with these riders, hm?
Naesen, van Avermaet, Cosnefroy, Paret-Peintre, Jungels...
Will it get better? What will become of Champoussin, is he a GC guy for the Giro or do they go for stages?

I thought O'Connor was scheduled to lead (or at least co lead) at the Giro?

 

[Salvarani]

Cosnefroy pretty underwhelming so far this season.

Naesen didnt do much in the classics.

Jungels not had an easy time. Looks a shadow of himself from a couple years ago and crashed in his latest race, Amstel.

GVA has been solid and his 3rd place in Flanders was a very good performance, but he is not one of the best anymore.

Their turned focus to the classics, one-day races and targeting some more victories is not really panning out so far. Only victory this season to this day came in one of the first races this season when Aurélien Paret-Peintre won Grand Prix Cycliste la Marseillaise.

They need to have a good Tour and hope they can grab some stages from the breakaway perhaps, to salvage this season.