Primoš Roglic (opens in new tab) will open the 2022 season next weekend at the Ardèche and Drome Classics in France.

While the early season hilly one-day races are more competitive than ever before, Jumbo Visma boasts the strongest field in the provisional lineup submitted to race organizers.

Roglic will race his first race of the season alongside Jonas Vingegaard (open in new tab), who will share the role at the Tour. The 25-year-old Danish rider finished second overall in last year's Tour after Roglic crashed early in the race and retired, giving him protected status in 2022.

Next weekend, Sepp Kuss, one of the world's best climbing domestiques and a key ally of Roglic's in recent years, will join them. Steven Kruijswijk is also on the start lists for both races. He is not named as a leader in this year's Tour, but is still in third place overall in 2019.

All four have already been confirmed as part of Jumbo-Visma's eight-man team for the 2022 Tour de France, with six names already confirmed and two more to be named in the coming months.

Wout Van Aert, another big name on the Tour team sheet, will compete in the "opening weekend" of the Classics in Belgium next weekend.

Robert Gesink is on the provisional start list for the Ardèche and Drome Classics and is one of the riders vying for the last two slots on the Tour team. He is one of the team's 13 longest Tour riders, as revealed by Cycling News at the beginning of the year.

Jumbo-Visma's team members for next weekend's two races in France are Tobias Foss, who will take a leadership role with Tom Dumoulin in this year's Giro d'Italia, and Cane Bouwman of Domestique. The reserves are Sam Omen, who is also on the Tour's long list, and neo-pro Mick van Dijk.

Aside from Jumbo Visma, Quick Step Alfavinir sends his strongest team to the Ardèche and Drome Classics. He will be flanked by Mauri Vansevenin, Andrea Bazioli, Mauro Schmidt, Dries Devenance, James Knox, and Pieter Serry, all of whom are considered the Belgian team Ardennes.

Thibaut Pinot will lead Groupama-FDJ in both races, with David Gaudoux in reserve. Other big names include Brandon McNulty (UAE Team Emirates), Biniam Girmay (Intermarche Wanty-Gaubert), Benoit Cosnefrois (AG2R Citroen), and Guillaume Martin (Cofidis).

The Ardèche Classic will take place on Saturday, February 26, and the 168.5-km route will wind around Guilherin Grange in the Ardèche region of southern France. It will feature a combination of the long climb of St. Romain de Lerp and the shorter but steeper Val d'Enfer climb, which will take place three times.

The following day, the Drome Classic has fewer hills, but the last 50 km of undulating roads will be a sprint to the finish.

Cycling News will bring you race reports, news, and interviews from both races.