Franck Bonnamour: «A great source of pride»
«I am very proud to be joining the AG2R CITROËN team for the next two seasons. It was a goal in my career to join a World Tour team. So to achieve this, in a French team no less, is a great accomplishment and a huge source of motivation. I liked Vincent Lavenu's approach. It's a team that suits my qualities and personality, and one that puts its riders in a very good position to progress, with state-of-the-art equipment and attentive coaching.
It's a group I know well, especially Benoît Cosnefroy, with whom I was on the French team when he became world junior champion in 2017. I can't wait to become part of this team and do my bit to help.
I am really looking forward to sharing my first outings with my new teammates during our training camp in Spain (from 10 to 20 January in La Nucia).
I spent a studious and meticulous winter preparing to be ready for the first races of the season, because I'm coming off a year that left me wanting more, despite my victory in the Polynormande. I want to do even better in 2023. The goal will be to be ready for the biggest races on the international calendar and also to discover new events on the World Tour calendar by supporting my leaders. It's an exciting challenge! I'm hungry for victory.»
Vincent Lavenu: «A rider we've been following for several years»
«It's a real pleasure to see Franck join our AG2R CITROËN team. We've been following him for several years now, and the closure of the B&B Hotels team hastened his arrival in our organisation.
After recruiting three new professionals from our training programme, Franck's arrival will give us an experienced rider who can perform on all types of terrain. He has proven this in the past, notably by being voted most combative rider in the 2021 Tour de France. He is brimming with talent. He has a burst of speed that allows him to play his card in small groups, he climbs rather well, he is comfortable in the classics and has the ideal mindset to blend into our team. He will be a valuable support for our leaders.
Although this is the first time in his career that he has joined a World Tour team, Franck has already proven that he can compete with the best riders in the international peloton. His arrival is fantastic news for us.»
Franck Bonnamour in brief:
Born on 20 June 1995 (aged 27) in Lannion (Côtes d’Armor)
All-round runner
Achievements: La Polynormande 2022, most combative rider in the 2021 Tour de France. 2nd in Paris-Tours 2021, 2nd in the 2021 Tour du Limousin. 2013 European Junior Champion.
The number: 4
Franck Bonnamour is the fourth recruit for the AG2R CITROËN team for the 2023 season, following Pierre Gautherat, Alex Baudin and Bastien Tronchon.
