Seixas Out, Lafay In
The French hopeful, sidelined by illness, will not take part, unlike David Gaudu, Jordan Jegat, and the Visma/Lease a Bike armada.
Since the publication of the preliminary list, teams have confirmed their starters this Tuesday afternoon. Several changes have been made across many line-ups.
At Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team, Paul Seixas, who is ill, is replaced by Victor Lafay, making his return to competition after a season hampered by physical setbacks. Andrea Vendrame is also in the mix, aiming for victory on the first stage. The “almost local” team will back Nicolas Prodhomme, promoted to team leader, in the general classification. Fresh off his 10th place finish in the Tour de France, Jordan Jegat is keen to notch his first professional win. His TotalEnergies teammates — Steff Cras, Fabien Doubey, Alain Jousseaume, Rayan Boulahoite, and not to forget Geoffrey Soupe, who will share some insider knowledge of the Ain roads — are all there to support him.
Team Visma/Lease a Bike confirms its ambitions by fielding its expected roster: young talents Cian Uijtdebroeks, Tim Rex, Tijmen Graat, and Jorgen Nordhagen, supported by seasoned riders Wilco Kelderman and Ben Tulett. The same goes for Groupama-FDJ, led by 2017 Tour de l’Ain winner David Gaudu, who’s preparing for the Vuelta. Rémi Rochas will support him in the mountains, replacing Kévin Geniets. Tom Donnewirth, 4th in 2024, will also have a card to play.
Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team, featuring Harm Vanhoucke (2nd in 2021), brings in Gianluca Brambilla in place of Fabio Christen. Unibet Tietema Rockets lines up four riders including Kilian Verschuren, Best Young Rider at the 2024 Tour de l’Ain, and Baptiste Huyet. At CIC U Nantes, Corentin Devroute steps in for Matisse Julien. Team Nice Métropole Côte d’Azur brings Bohémond Barrillot and Alexander Konijn, replacing Lennard Sternsdorff and Simon Bak. Bike has changed half of its line-up.
Other squads remain unchanged: Cofidis with Sylvain Moniquet as leader; Van Rysel Roubaix, who animated the race in 2024 with Rémi Capron taking a stage win and finishing second overall; Saint Michel-Preference Home-Auber 93, led by Nicolas Breuillard and Thomas Champion, who seem to be in good shape; Arkéa-B&B Hotels will be represented by Victor Guernalec and Rémi Lelandais, the best climber in 2024, among others; Tudor Pro Cycling Team U23; and finally, the Germany U23 team.
Photo credit – @jolypics
