Ben O'Connor
«End on a high note»
«I didn't take part in the Tour de France because I had a baby girl, so I had time to prepare for the Vuelta a España. I live in Andorra, where I did a few weeks of intensive training. I feel good, healthy and ready to tackle the second half of the season. My goal is to race as I have done all year, to be in the top five in the overall standings. I also hope to win a stage after already raising my arms in victory at the Giro and the Tour de France, which is very important to me. This will be my last Grand Tour with the team, so I want to finish on a high note and give it my all right to the end to repay my teammates who will help me achieve a good place in the general classification. I hope we'll have something to celebrate in Madrid, it will be a special moment.»
Felix Gall
«I am highly motivated.»
«I took a week off after the Tour de France and went to Austria for a bit, which did me good. Since then, I've been training hard and I'm ready for my first Vuelta a España. I'm really looking forward to taking part. It's the first time I'll be doing these two races back-to-back, but I think it's a good idea and I'm very motivated. We have a very strong team, with Ben O'Connor going for the general classification, and I'll be there to support him. I'm also going to focus on the stages. There are a lot of mountains on the programme, which suits my profile. I can't wait to be in Lisbon for the Grand Départ.»
Cyril Dessel
«An attractive and solid team»
«We are entering the Vuelta Ciclista a España with an attractive and solid team. Ben O'Connor will be the leader and Felix Gall the co-leader, with the goal of finishing in the top five in the general classification. They will lead a well-equipped team, with riders who have an interesting profile both as teammates and as contenders for stage victories, which is the other goal. The route of this Vuelta a España is difficult and mountainous, without however featuring many very high mountain stages. It is a Tour for climbers and climber-type riders, which suits our team well. The riders are approaching the race with a lot of motivation and enthusiasm. They have prepared well, most of them during a training camp in Tignes last month. The mood is very good, and everything is looking positive.»
The information
A first for several runners
Clément Berthet, Felix Gall, Valentin Paret-Peintre and Sander De Pestel will be participating in the Vuelta a España for the first time in their careers. It will also be the Belgian rider's first Grand Tour.
7
The figure
The number of stage wins the team has achieved in the Vuelta Ciclista a España. The last one was in 2021, when Clément Champoussin won the 20th stage.e stage with a six-second lead over Primož Roglič.
