Two-year extension for Calmejane at Direct Energie
Tour de France stag🅷e winner commits to French team





Second year neo-professional 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Lilian Calmejane has inked a two-year extension with 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Direct Energie. The 24-year-old 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:won a stage at the 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Tour de France on his debut at the race in July.
With 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Thomas Voeckler retiring, and 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Bryan Coquard leaving the Pro-Continental team at the end of 2017, Calmejane will take on the mantle as a team captain. Calmejane has enjoyed a breakout season so far in 2017 with stage wins and overall victories at Etoile de Bessèges💦, Settimana Internazionale Coppi e Bartali, and Circuit🌳 Cycliste Sarthe-Pays de la Loire.
"There are quite a few factors that are taken into acc🥃ount. There is already the fact that the team is taking a new turn, where I will have a leading🌺 role to assume," Calmejane said of his decision to re-sign. "It is true that I had a fairly rapid progression and that I have many ambitions. Direct Energie trusts me and offers me a long-term project.
"Like the majority of the team today, I went through Vendée U. Jean-René (Bernaudeau) gave me my chance," he added of the team manager and the team's develo🐬pment squad. "Passing through Vendée U, it allowed me to have a progression over four years and to have today the responsibilities I have within Direct Energie. I have a moral duty to the team, I do not want to disappoint them."
Calmejane's first season in the pro ranks included several top-ten results before he claimed💮 a win at 💦the Vuelta a España on his Grand Tour debut. In 2017, the Albi native has gone to another level with the Tour de France a highlight. Along with his stage win, Calmejane also wore the polka dot jersey and was awarded the combativity award on stage three and eight.
While Calmejane wants more success from🌄 the season, he is♊ looking forward to continuing his development with Direct Energie.
"It's a bit early to think about, the 2017 season is not over, anღd I still have victory cravings. Direct Energie is invited on the T꧒our of Lombardy: it is a monument of cycling, so I think about it," he said.
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"The Tour de France will be my focus of 2018, I will articulate my sea🦩son around this, it is obvious. After that, it is true that I dream of one day wearing the jersey of champion of France."
Despite his three GC wins in 2017, Calmejane added his ♋focus, for now, remains on stage wins.
"For now, I prefer to have a victory over a Grand Tour rather than aiming for a top 15-20. But, I'm only 24 ye🔯ars old, it has time to change according to my physical evolution. But it is true that in theꦯ short term, I will privilege stage victories," he said.
Direct Energie has also extended the 🐻contracts of Adrien Petit, Sylvain Chavanel, Perrig Quémeneur, and Alexandrꦍe Pichot.
There will be numerous changes at Direct Energie with a large amount 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:of incoming and outgoing riders. Leaving the team are Thomas Voeckler, Bryan Coquard (Vital Concept), Julien Morice, Antoine Duchesne, Tony Hurel, and Fabrice Jeandesboz. Confirm🌌ed signings from 2018 include Axel Journiaux (Neo-Pro), Simon Sellier (Neo-Pro), Rein Taaramäe (Katusha-Alpecin), Jérôme Cousin (Cofidis), and Damien Gaudin (l'Armée de Terre).