RAGT-Semences for GP Schwarzwald

The RAGT-Semences has announced its line-up for the GP Schwarzwald, June 4. The team will field Guillaume Auger, Emilien-Benoît Bergès, Xavier Hérinne, Olivier Kaisen, Benjamin Levecot, Guillaume Lernould, and Eddy Seigneur.

Despite its rather startling lack of success over the last couple of years, RAGT Semences continues to pump out cheerfully upbeat team statements. The latest source of optimism at the team is young rider Emilien-Benoît Bergès who finished sixth in the time trial stage of the Tour of Belgium last week, not a bad result for a 22-year-old neo pro.

That performance has earned the youngster a place on the French Espoirs team at the Mediterranean Games, June 26 to July 3. It's not the first time he's worn French team colours, though. Being selected was, "not really that much of a surprise for me," said Bergès. "I've carried squad colours for the past four years and am on excellent terms with [team manager] Bernard Bourreau with whom I have always remained in contact. At the start of the season, we had already talked about this. That's been taken care of with the 6th place in the time trials in the Tour de Belgique."

Beyond the Mediterranean Games, where the team simply aims, "to do our best," Bergès is hoping to carry on performing well in time trials, taking a leaf out of the book of team-mate Eddy Seigneur whose victory in the 2004 French national time trial championships was one of the team's few wins last year.

"I'd like to put on a good performance in the French time trial championships," said Bergès. "Why not aim to finish in the top five? I've spoken to Eddy Seigneur about it quite a lot within RAGT Semences. He's given me advice and that reassures me in my determination."