Less than 24 hours after signing Sebastien Turgot, AG2R raid the Europcar ranks once again, this time to sign the other Cobbled Classics specialist on the Europcar roster, Damien Gaudin. It’s certainly a statement of intent from the AG2R team, they have given themselves a real presence for the Cobbled Classics season.
The 27 year old is a big and powerful rider, both traits that make him potent on the pave. He was 5th in this years Paris-Roubaix, 25th in 2012 and 16th in 2011, however he seems less suited to the steep bergs of the Ronde van Vlaanderen. He can appear to wrestle rather than ride his bike, but ungainly or not, it can be highy effective, anyone who watched him powering ahead in Paris-Roubaix would attest to that.
Damien Gaudin is also a strong time trialist, particularly on the shorter courses. He won the opening prologue in Paris-Nice this year, taking the race lead and beating several excellent time trialists in the process. As with Turgot, Gaudin adds a lot of power to the team, he will be a strong support rider for the GC riders.
Related articles
- Transfer Talk: Sebastien Turgot signs for AG2R La Mondiale (procyclingkev.wordpress.com)
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