Management

FDJ-BIG MAT (FDJ) - FRA

The white and blue FDJ-Big Mat team jersey stands out in the peloton and the French team is back in the UCI WorldTour for 2012 and so will again be sure of riding the biggest races on the international calendar.

Charismatic team manager Marc Madiot was a former professional and Paris-Roubaix winner and knows how to transmit his passion and determination to his riders.

“We won 28 races in 20011 but we were especially pleased to be back in the UCI WorldTour for 2012” Madiot said. “The WorldTour guarantees that a team rides all the major races during the season, both internationally and in France. That’s extra motivating and now we know our big goals for the season: We will target the Classics, the Giro d’Italia, the Tour de France and the Vuelta Espana.”

“We’ve got a young but talented team. I’m convinced that if young riders are serious and talented, then it’s logical that they will eventually emerge and be successful in whatever role they play in the team. It’s up to them to give 100% and up to us to help them 100%.”

The FDJ-Big Mat line-up includes solid stage racers like Sandy Casar –who will target the Giro d’Italia, Arnold Jeannesson –who will target the Tour de France, and classics riders such as William Bonnet, Steve Chainel, Pierrick Fedrigo, veteran Frederic Guesdon and Canadian Dominique Rollin.

The talented new generation of French riders at FDJ-Big Mat is lead by Jeremy Roy, Thibaud Pinot and especially Under 23 road race world champion Arnaud Demare. He has already proven his speed and sprint tactics by winning several races in 2012 and could go on to be the next great French sprinter in the peloton.

New signings for 2012 include Gabriel Rasch of Norway and Jussi Veikkanen of Finland, giving this traditionally French team a Nordic flavour.