Two wins in two tries for Samuel Dumoulin, Lampre-Merida's Cimolai wins opening stage at Tour of Japan
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Thibaut Pinot (FDJ).(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
AG2R-La Mondiale's Sammy Dumoulin(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Sébastien Reichenbach (FDJ) (Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Steve Morabito (FDJ)(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Davide Cimolai (Lampre-Merida)(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
In a video posted on the team's website, FDJ today announced their roster for the upcoming Criterium du Dauphine, which starts June 5 and runs through June 12.
Thibaut Pinot, coming off a second place overall at the Tour de Romandie, will lead the French team in the eight-day Tour de France tune-up race. Pinot is mixing up his Tour de France preparation slightly this year, as he chose to race Tour de Suisse last year before going on to winning the penultimate stage at the Tour and finishing 16th overall there.
Pinot will be joined in Dauphine by William Bonnet, Matthieu Ladagnous, Steve Morabito, Sebastien Reichenbach, Anthony Roux, Jeremy Roy and Arthur Vichot, who recently was second at Boucles de l'Aulne – Chateaulin.
FDJ for Criterium du Dauphine: William Bonnet, Matthieu Ladagnous, Steve Morabito, Thibaut Pinot, Sebastien Reichenbach, Anthony Roux, Jeremy Roy, Arthur Vichot
Two wins in two tries for Samuel Dumoulin last weekend
AG2R La Mondiale's Samuel Dumoulin warmed up for this weekend's Criterium du Dauphine start by winning two French one-day races on Saturday and Sunday.
The 35-year-old Frenchman took victories in GP Plumelec on Saturday and at Boucles de l'Aulne on Sunday. Dumoulin beat his teammate Alexis Vuillermoz on Saturday and FDJ's Arthur Vichot on Sunday.
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"I lived amazing moments this weekend with two victories in a row," he said. "I felt so bad and sick two months and a half ago. I am regaining my youth. This morning, my legs were painful and it was not so easy to start. The team raced efficiently. They set an impressive pace in the last two laps and I finished the job.
"I am very happy for me and for the team," he said. "I will now participate to Criterium du Dauphine with three stages that suit me before helping my leaders in the mountains. I love that race on my region roads."
Lampre-Merida's Cimolai wins opening stage at Tour of Japan
Lampre-Merida started the Tour of Japan on a high note Monday when Davide Cimolai sprinted to the stage 1 win ahead of the Nippo-Vini Fantini duo of Pierre de Negri and Kazushige Kuboki.
"I'm very happy, because this victory came immediately after a period during which I trained a lot, and it's never easy to be competitive just after having worked a lot," Cimolai said.
"It was great to celebrate this success with the Japanese fans and the team's sponsors. I thank my teammates; they're four, however they worked so well that they succeed in giving me amazing support. I had good legs, I could perform a powerful sprint."
Lampre-Merida started the eight-day 2.1 race with a disadvantage as illness forced Federico Zurlo to withdraw before the race started, leaving the team with just five riders.
Avanti IsoWhey Sports' Anthony Giacoppo won the opening prologue on Sunday but ceded his overall lead to de Negri after stage 1.
