He's an ex-MTBer, right? That would explain the seemingly late transition to pro road rider, but consistently pretty strong, a bit like when Porte was a 25yo neo-pro cos of his tri background. He's getting stronger and having somebody to work for is definitely a help for him. Plus of course Ag2r have good recent history of French riders doing strong Giro performances where the pressure's off them a bit, with Dupont and also when they merged with Team Gadret.