Vital Concept Club unveil 2018 team kit
Green-and-black jerseys for new French Pro Continental squad
The Vital Concept Club have unveiled the kit riders will wear for the French Pro Continental team's inaugural season, with green-and-black the predominant colours.
Run by former pro Jerome Pineau, the Bretagne-based team are aiming for a wildcard invitation to the Tour de France this year and a jump to the WorldTour within three years. The main sponsor will be the French company Vital Concept, which previously co-sponsored Fortuneo-Oscaro, pulling out of that team just before the Tour de France.
Sprinter Bryan Coquard was the first big signing for the team, followed by Kris Boeckmans from Lotto Soudal and Steven Lammertink from LottoNL-Jumbo, among others. The creation of the Vital Concept team means there will be five French Pro Continental teams fighting for the expected four wildcard invitations to the Tour.
Coquard joins as team leader after a difficult divorce from the Direct Energie team. He told Jean-Rene Bernaudeau that he wanted to quit the Vendee-based squad in the spring and was not selected for the Tour de France.
Pineau raced as a professional between 2002 and 2015, spending much of his career alongside Sylvain Chavanel. He won a stage at the 2010 Giro d'Italia and retired after two final seasons with the Swiss IAM Cycling team.
Vital Concept Club 2018 roster: Yoann Bagot, Kris Boeckmans, Bryan Coquard, Erwann Corbel, Arnaud Courteille, Bert de Backer, Corentin Ermenault, Marc Fournier, Adrien Garel, Steven Lammertink, Johan Le Bon, Jérémy Lecroq, Lorrenzo Manzin, Julien Morice, Justin Mottier, Patrick Müller, Quentin Pacher, Kévin Réza, Tanguy Turgis, Jonas van Genechten
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