AG2R LA MONDIALE go into the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad Elite and Kuurne-Bruxelles-Kuurne with a team led by Alexis Gougeard, Damien Gaudin and Sebastien Turgot.

"It is always a long-awaited and important event of the early season," sports director Julien Jurdie said. "The Classics are known as races for the hard men of the peloton, testing both physical and mental resilience. It is not UCI WoldTour yet but the Classics are substantial to develop our team spirit. The whole team has been working well since the beginning of the season but, honestly, we are only outsiders. Nonetheless, it gives us an opportunity to challenge the leaders."

Some riders selected for the Classics tested the equipment in January.

"We wanted to test our new Continental bike tyres on the Paris-Roubaix sectors", Jurdie said. "We have stunning bike equipment but it is necessary to do “full-scale” experiments in preparation for major spring events. More than anywhere else, this specific kind of race requires proper mechanical adjustments in order to get optimum performance on race day.

"We have a mix between youth and experience. Among the young riders, Hugo Houle has shown great progress since the beginning of the season. Then, after his results last year, Alex Gougeard has a true affection for these races in particular. However, if we want to be successful in Belgium we also need accomplished riders who will know perfectly every race in order to avoid traps. Precisely, I am thinking about riders like Sebastien Turgot, Damien Gaudin, Lithuanian Gediminas Bagdonas or new-comer from New Zealand Jesse Sergent."

Roster for Omloop Het Nieuwsblad Elite

Gediminas Bagdonas (Lit)

Damien Gaudin
Alexis Gougeard
Hugo Houle (Can)
Sebastien Minard
Jesse Sergent (NZL)
Sebastien Turgot

Roster for Kuurne-Bruxelles-Kuurne

Gediminas Bagdonas (Lit)

Maxime Daniel
Alexis Gougeard
Hugo Houle (Can)
Jesse Sergent (NZL)
Sebastien Turgot