Australian climber Ben O'Connor has been confirmed to lead the AG2R Citröen line-up for the Tour de France, a year after he completed the race with a breakthrough fourth place overall and a spectacular stage win in the Alps.
O'Connor, 26, has had a consistently successful season so far, taking a Pyrenean stage victory in the Volta a Catalunya as well as a string of top-10 places in week-long WorldTour stage races. Most recently, he finished 3rd in the Critérium du Dauphiné behind fellow Tour de France GC competitors, the Jumbo-Visma duo of Primoz Roglič and Jonas Vingegaard.
One surprise absence from the team's line-up is Greg Van Avermaet, the Belgian veteran who has two Tour stage wins to his name as well as two days in yellow back in 2016.
The 37-year-old played a key team helper's role for O'Connor last year and recently completed the Criterium du Dauphiné in a support role. However, his 10th Tour start will have to wait.
Speaking after the Dauphiné, his last warm-up event before the Tour, O'Connor said "It's kind of clear, I'm moving really well.
"All the work we've done as a team has paid off. We're really not far away from fighting with actually the very best in the world, and that's something we can be proud of.
"I just need to get to the Tour now, not get too tired beforehand, and hopefully not have too many problems in the Tour."
O'Connor will be able to count on climbing support from former Giro d'Italia and Vuelta a España King of the Mountains winner Geoffrey Bouchard, who makes his Tour debut.
Belgian Oliver Naesen makes his seventh start in seven years and is expected to be key for O'Connor during the first week, particularly for the crosswinds in Denmark and on the Calais coast as well as the cobbled 'Roubaix' stage 5.
Former Giro d'Italia leader and Liège-Bastogne-Liège winner Bob Jungels returns to make his fourth Tour start after last year's illness-plagued season. He heads to Denmark with a promising sixth place to his name at the recent Tour de Suisse
After his 15th place overall last year, Aurélien Paret-Peintre could have protected rider status, while Benoît Cosnefroy is expected to be a stage hunter in a year where AG2R-Citröen have often been in the mix or well-placed on GC but only taken four wins.
Veteran Mickael Cherel (six Tour starts) and Stan Dewulf (Tour debut) round out the team's eight-man selection for July.
AG2R Citröen for the 2022 Tour de France
- Ben O'Connor
- Geoffrey Bouchard
- Mikael Cherel
- Benoît Cosnefroy
- Stan Dewulf
- Bob Jungels
- Oliver Naesen
- Aurélien Paret-Peintre
