In 2014 John Gadret will join the Movistar team and will move into a domestique role in the grand tours. He plans to ride the Giro d'Italia where he will support either Nairo Quintana or Alejandro Valverde, and maybe possible ride the Tour de France later in the season.

John Gadret may have finished on the podium in the 2011 Giro d'Italia but the veteran Frenchman is preparing himself for a different role in 2014. After several years of riding as a grand tour captain at Ag2r, he will wear the Movistar jersey in the coming season and will be working for others in the three-week races.

In his time at Ag2r, Gadret has mostly done the Giro d'Italia where he has enjoyed lots of success, with the podium result and stage win in the 2011 being the absolute highlight. Occasionally, he has done the Tour de France but has failed to achieve the same kind of results in his home race.

In 2013 he decided to skip the Giro to focus on the Tour but failed to make much of an impact on the French race. Shortly after the end of the grand tour, he was informed that his contract wouldn't be renewed and he was left looking for a new team in a very difficult market.

With Nairo Quintana and Alejandro Valverde both going for grand tour glory in 2014, Movistar was looking for strong climbers to support their captains in the mountains. Gadret fitted the bill and he was offered a contract with the Spanish team.

The Frenchman had already indicated that he was likely to ride the Giro but has now confirmed to La Voix du Nord that he will indeed return to the scene of his best results. At the Italian grand tour, he will ride in support of either Valverde or Quintana but the team still hasn't decided which of their stars will be the captain in the Italian grand tour.

Gadret may even do the Giro-Tour double and so could offer his service to both of his captains in the grand tours. He will start his season at the Challenge Mallorca and then do the Tour du Haut Var. He will skip the Ardennes classics as he prepares for the Giro.

In the past Gadret has often started his season rather late as he has had an extensive cyclo-cross schedule in the winter. However, he has reduced the number of off-road races in recent years and will do a full road calendar in 2014.

The 2013 season did not bring much luck to Gadret whose best result was an overall 3rd place in the Route du Sud.