LAURENCE PITHIE DOWN UNDER'S EFFORT TO CLAIM 2024'S FIRST WIN

Just over a year ago, he was one of eight riders promoted from La Conti to the WorldTour team: the famous "Nouvelle Vague". Laurence Pithie even managed to raise his arms in his first season in the elite, at Cholet-Pays de la Loire, and to finish fifth in the Bemer Cyclassics. But in 2024, he said quite clearly: "It's time for me to move up to the next level". The ambition of the young generation of the Groupama-FDJ cycling team is contagious. In fact, more than half of the team assigned to the early season's Australian missions came from the ranks of La Conti. This campaign began with the Tour Down Under, and not in the best of ways, with Ignatas Konovalovas suffering back pains and Rudy Molard crashing hard - both of them forced to cut short their participation in this inaugural battle of the season.

The young guns remained united in the face of this tough event, led by a sparkling Laurence Pithie, aged just 21: fourth in Campbelltown, fifth in Port Elliot, and above all fifth in Mount Lofty, on a final that was not really suited to his sprinter-puncher profile, with him attacking in the last kilometre. The Oceanian adventure continued four days later with the Surf Coast Classic, where the Kiwi again took fifth place. Then came the Cadel Evans Road Race, the first WorldTour classic of the year. As Laurence Pithie successfully negotiated the four climbs of Challambra Crescent, he emerged in the final kilometres in a position to challenge for victory in the sprint. In the last few hectometres, he managed to slalom his way up to overtake his rivals and win by just a few centimetres. For the very first time, a former La Conti rider won a one-day race at this level. And the counter for the Groupama-FDJ cycling team is now open.

KEVIN GENIETS, FROM TENERIFE'S HEAT TO MARSEILLE'S HIT

In December, as in January, all professional riders spend very little time at home. It's training time! An essential period for preparing the season. Before the Christmas festivities, the entire Groupama-FDJ cycling team - over 100 people including staff - gathered in Calpe, on the Spanish Costa Blanca. And no sooner had they taken the time to wish a happy new year, than they set course for new horizons - Australia, for some, the Valencia region again for others. And most of the team leaders stayed at... "the Volcano": David Gaudu, Valentin Madouas, Stefan Küng, Romain Grégoire and Lenny Martinez were all at altitude on the slopes of Teide on the Canary island of Tenerife, to fine-tune their preparations. Kevin Geniets was also there. He kept telling his friends that he was determined to get his maiden win on the Grand Prix La Marseillaise, when he returns to mainland.

This race, the first round of the FDJ French Cup and historically the opening round of the French cycling calendar, took place on 28 January. At the foot of the Route des Crêtes, the penultimate difficulty on the route, the Luxembourger went on the move with the support of his team-mate Rémy Rochas. A few kilometres further on, Kevin Geniets was attacked by Alex Baudin (Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale), but he managed to catch him after a strong chase. On the edge of the Stade Vélodrome, the pair went on to battle it out for victory in a two-man sprint. In the money time, in a crowded hotel room on the Teide, all the colleagues of the rider nicknamed La Girafe started yelling. He launched his effort and his opponent never managed to catch up. The month of January was not yet over and the Groupama-FDJ cycling team already had two successes in 2024.

This winter has seen a number of changes within the structure of the Groupama-FDJ cycling team. The first major decision was taken at Race Direction level, with Philippe Mauduit taking over from Yvon Madiot. "With Yvon retiring, as well as Franck Pineau, the team decided to anticipate the changes of the coming years, explains Philippe Mauduit. So we had to find a successor to Yvon as head of the sports division, and I was chosen. It's a new role for me in the team, but it's something I wanted to do. We're not going to start a revolution. We're going to make some small changes that will bring new energy to the team's sports directors and the team as a whole. We're going to make sure that it's a bit different from what's been going on for a few years, but we're not going to make a radical impact, because this is a team that's almost three decades old, with its own culture and its own identity, and we can't afford to lose that."

On the Performance side, Frédéric Grappe's role has changed: he now heads up the Research and Development division, while Julien Pinot is now in charge of the Training division. "I could no longer see the point of confining performance to one division, explains Frédéric Grappe. It worked very well for several years, but I realised that it didn't make much sense any more, because performance is globalised across the entire team. From now on, I'll have an eye on the bigger picture. I also wanted Julien Pinot to be in charge of the coaches, and now I can rely on him." Julien Pinot, who joined the team in 2012, was then a former student of Frédéric Grappe at the Besançon Sports University. "Julien was the second coach to join the team. I've known him for a very long time thanks to his degree, explains Grappe. I know what he's capable of, and I know he's someone who's going to energise the squad."

A new chapter has opened in 2024 for the Groupama-FDJ cycling team, with the arrival of a brand new partner for cycles: Wilier-Triestina. The century-old Italian firm, based in the Veneto region, is aware of the many challenges involved in this new partnership. CEO and Sales Director Enrico Gastaldello introduces you to the brand with the halberd, before discussing the motivations and ambitions of this sponsorship.

Enrico, can you give us a little history of the Wilier-Triestina brand?

The Wilier company was founded in 1906 in Bassano del Grappa by an entrepreneur named Pietro Dal Molin. He started producing bicycles, and from the information we collected, the company also provided means of transport to the army during the First World War. Bassano del Grappa is a small town located ten kilometres from Rossano Veneto, where the headquarters are now, where I was born, where I grew up, and where my grandfather and my father worked before me and my brothers. Just after World War II, Wilier began to sponsor a professional cycling team. From 1946, the brand had its “factory team” at the Giro d’Italia. In a way, Wilier contributed to cycling’s revival and popularity in the post-war period. In Italy, we were obviously very passionate about this sport due to the Coppi-Bartali rivalry. In the Wilier team, there was the “third man” of Italian cycling: Fiorenzo Magni. He was also very popular because he tried to make a room for himself between the two campionissimi, and also achieved great victories like Giro d’Italia in 1948 and Tour of Flanders in 1949 and 1950. At that time, the brand built its history and a great reputation.

What is the origin of the brand's name and logo?

Wilier is the acronym for “W l’Italia liberata e redenta” (Long live Italy, liberated and redeemed). Our symbol is now the halberd of Trieste, but if we look at the older symbols of the brand, we’ll find the banner of Bassano del Grappa in addition to the halberd. The origin of the latter comes from the 1946 Giro d’Italia, which the Wilier team participated in. The 12th stage supposed to end in Trieste was stopped due to a political protest. At that time, the territory of Trieste was a “neutral zone”, controlled by the English and American armies. The city was divided in two, just like Berlin. There were left-wing political forces, close to communism, and remnants of fascist forces. In the 1946 Giro, these political issues led to the race being blocked fifteen kilometers from Trieste. A “trick” was found eventually to let part of the peloton enter in Trieste, led by the captain of Wilier, a rider from Trieste called Giordano Cottur. This episode brought a lot of joy to the city and calmed the spirits a bit. This is one of the reasons why the founder of Wilier decided to associate the name Triestina (meaning “from Trieste”) with his brand.

Why did you want to start a collaboration with the Groupama-FDJ cycling team?
 

We were looking for a top team. A team with tradition, history but also a high-performance one. We wanted to negotiate with a team taking into account its UCI ranking, prospects, and interest in young talent riders. Just like us, who are not part of the market’s giants, Groupama-FDJ may not have today the same budget of the top-3 teams and must take a path similar to ours: investment. While we must invest in innovation, they must invest in youth, discover talents, and help them develop. It seemed to us to be the perfect match for the characteristics of our brand. For Wilier, it is the right team at the right time, in terms of our ambitions and our position. From the start, it seemed like a natural partnership.
 

We hope for a fruitful collaboration, which will allow us to further improve our products and raise up the brand. We are also in the process of finalizing some important projects. Some novelties will be introduced during the season. The respective R&D departments are working throughout and we expect some news between the Critérium du Dauphiné and the Tour de Suisse. Then, as the Tour de France starts from Italy this year, it is an exceptional showcase to raise awareness of Wilier Triestina together with the support of the team. From a marketing point of view, we expect a collaboration that will allow us to create appropriate content and grow on digital platforms. The objective is twofold: to strengthen Wilier in terms of innovation - and we are convinced that this can also be real added value for the team -, then to rely on the team to develop communication projects and activities, on the ground, which allow us to build solid marketing. Finally, we totally share the team's goal, which is to go to races to win, not just to participate. We are convinced that if we do our part at the production level, the team will also do its part on the field.

After the Grand Prix La Marseillaise and the Étoile de Bessèges, the French start to the season continues in the south of the country, with the Tour de La Provence returning to the calendar after a year's absence. The event previously known as the Tour des Alpes-Maritimes et du Var is now split: the Classic Var makes its appearance on Friday 16th with a thrilling finish at the summit of Mont Faron, and the weekend will feature the now-named Tour des Alpes-Maritimes. Meanwhile, on the Iberian Peninsula, the Tour of Murcia, the Almeria Classic, the Tour of the Algarve and O Gran Camiño, a competition that the team will be discovering, will take place.

On 24 and 25 February, what is considered to be the key weekend for launching hostilities in any new season will take place: the first front in Belgium with the Het Nieuwsblad and Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne, the second in the French Rhône Valley, with the Faun-Ardèche Classic and the Faun-Drôme Classic. Situated a week before Paris-Nice, these four races symbolise the end of the warm-up period.

The Conti, which traditionally kicks off its season at the end of February, will be back in business earlier this year, on 18 February. Jérôme Gannat's riders will be taking part in a new experience: the Tour of Rwanda, the biggest event organised on the African continent.

Since the 1st January this year, Julbo is no longer solely the helmet supplier of the Groupama-FDJ cycling team: the Jura-based company now also provides eyewear for all the riders, both from La Conti and the WorldTour squad. To celebrate the expansion of this partnership, we're giving you the opportunity to play for your chance to win a pair of Julbo glasses, to be chosen from the models in the Groupama-FDJ collection: to do so, find the right answer to six questions about our 2024 recruits and you could be drawn!