Quentin Pacher and Michael Storer have signed contracts with Groupama-FDJ for the next two years.
The Australian Storer joins from Team DSM, while Frenchman Pacher switches from B&B Hotels p/b KTM.
24-year-old Storer recently won the final stage and the overall at the Tour de l’Ain and has been part of the DSM set up since 2018. The talented climber will bolster Groupama’s stage racing core alongside Thibaut Pinot and David Gaudu.
"I chose Groupama-FDJ because the structure and the ambitions of the team are exactly what I am looking for at this stage of my career,” the Australian said in a statement released by his future team.
“I am a climber, and I want to keep improving in this role with the team. I recently won my first professional race, and personally I hope to also win at the WorldTour level one day. I like to win, but helping others succeed in the biggest races is also very motivating for me. The team has high ambitions and I want to do my best to help achieve them next year."
Storer has come through the ranks at DSM, having spent just one year at Mitchelton-Scott in 2017. He has raced the Vuelta a España three times and the Giro d'Italia once, but his long-range attack in the Tour de l’Ain showcased his potential and talent.
“Michael Storer is a pure climber, a model teammate able to stay with his leaders for a long time. This year, he supported Romain Bardet in all the important moments of the Giro. During David Gaudu's two victories in the Vuelta, Michael was in the breakaway, he is a very good climber, we needed a rider like him in the group,” said Groupama-FDJ directeur sportif Yvon Madiot.
Pacher, 29, is a versatile all-rounder and will compete in WorldTour team for the first time in his career. He has yet to win a professional race but the Frenchman is a constant presence in breaks and is always on the front foot and looking for opportunities to attack.
"Racing for Groupama-FDJ is a new stage in my career,” said the Frenchman.
“I came into the professional world through the back door, I took it step after step. I'm very happy to have the opportunity to ride in a WorldTour team, to compete in the greatest races in the world. I've joined a team that has a very strong workforce, Groupama-FDJ is a pillar of French cycling and I think I'll continue to learn alongside them.
"I was shown the structure, particularly the training, research and performance parts. It's attractive, nothing is left to chance. I am in my best years and I am happy to be part of a team where everything is optimized to the maximum. The team expects me to play a double role: to support the top leaders and to take my chance when I have the opportunity to play my card. I am very motivated by the Ardennes classics as well as by the Grand Tours that I discovered last year."
Madiot praised the rider’s commitment and willingness to race aggressively.
“Quentin is a rider who is always on the attack. He never gives up, mentally he is very strong. He has real skills as a puncheur even if he has to continue to work on them,” he said.
"The objective is to integrate him in the climbers' group, he is an experienced rider who knows the high level. We are really counting on him, he has a role to play with our main leaders. We hope to bring him something, there is a mutual desire to work together, I think we can have some very nice surprises."
