Defending champions IAM cycling will return to the race. Thomas Löfkvist finished on the same time as AG2R’s Jean-Christophe Peraud, but was awarded victory after he finished ahead of the Frenchman on the final stage.
AG2R-La Mondiale will also be present on the start line, with six other WorldTour teams. French teams, FDJ and Europcar will line-up alongside BMC, Argos-Shimano, Trek Factory Racing and Katusha. The number of WorldTour teams has dropped from eleven last year and nine the year before that.
In addition to IAM, there will be seven more Pro Continental teams. Cofidis, Bretagne-Séché Environment, CCC Polsat, Androni Giocattoli and Colombia make their return to the event. With Bardiani CSF and Caja Rural making their debut in the race.
The drop in top-level teams means that there is more space for the Continental teams, of which there is five. Raleigh, Wallonie Bruxelles and Roubaix-Lille Metropole get the nod with La Pomme Marseille and Big-Mat Auber 93.
This year’s race begins a week later and with one day less than last year on February 13, in Angles sur Mer and finishes on the 16th, in Toulon. There will still be five stages with a 63km open road stage and a time trial on the penultimate day. The finish on Mont Faron has been moved to the final day, leaving it all to play for in the general classification.
Tour Méditerranéen 2014 stages:
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Stage 1 – Thursday 13 February: Argeles sur Mer – Montagnac, 196.3km Stage 2 – Friday 14 February: Cadolive – Rousset, 170.6km Stage 3 – Saturday 15 February: Lambesc – St Remy de Provence, 63km Stage 4 – Saturday 15 February: St Remy de Provence - St Remy de Provence (ITT), 18.2km Stage 5 – Sunday 16 February: Bendol – Toulon (Mont Faron), 192.7km
