Thibaut Pinot returns to the Tour de France to lead the Groupama-FDJ line with substitute David Gaudoux.

The French team held a press event on Tuesday to announce the 2022 season, with team manager Marc Madiot stressing the importance of the three Grand Tours after the "failure" of 2021.

Gruppama-FDJ won 22 races in 2021 and finished 8th in the UCI ranking, but failed to win a stage in a Grand Tour for the first time in 10 years and failed to finish in the top 10 overall in three Grand Tours. Therefore, Madio explained that success in 2022 would be measured in three weeks of racing and outlined the team's plans for the season.

The change in Tour de France leadership between Pinot and Demare continued, with Pinot returning after an injury-plagued year and Demare switching to the Giro after missing out on a stage win at the 2021 Tour. DeMare has the complete lead-out train in Italy, but the team also has a potential GC contender in Attila Valter, who finished 14th overall in the pink jersey last year.

In the Tour, Pinot will share responsibility with 25-year-old Gordou. Gordou will lead for the first time in 2021, but finished 11th.

"I'm going into the Tour de France with very high ambitions. I want to fight for the podium," said Madiou, who described it as a "collective goal" and resisted any talk of hierarchy.

"We are six months away from the Tour, and things will depend on the physical condition of the riders and the race conditions. I can't say right now who the main leaders will be.

Interestingly, Madio mentioned not only Pinot and Gordou, but also Storer, the 24-year-old Australian climber who won two stages at the Tour de Ain and last year's Vuelta a España. Asked to confirm if it was the leader trio, Madio suggested that the former DSM rider could be a surprise package.

"We'll have to see how the race unfolds, but from what I've seen of his riding in the mountains, especially in the Vuelta, he could be a consideration. To begin with, the team is built around Davide and Thibault, but if you look at the overall in recent years, Pogacar has won, which is good, but if you look at the riders under him, how many would have made the podium or top five six months ago?

Madiot suggested that De Mare was disappointed to have missed out on the Tour, but insisted that this was "great news" highlighting the Frenchman's ambition, and supported his return to his best in the Giro.

Groupama-FDJ's plans for the Vuelta a España have not yet been finalized and will be determined based on the results of the Giro and Tour. De Mare will target flat races like Milan-San Remo, which he won in 2016, while Stefan Küng will focus on cobbled classics as well as time trials like the opening stage of the Tour in Copenhagen.

Despite the number of victories and UCI rankings, Madio revealed that the 2021 campaign led to a period of contemplation for 2022. With only four newcomers - Storer, Luis Askey, Quentin Pacher, and Bram Welten - Madio emphasized the importance of the training camps held in November and December, which he described as a fresh start.

"It was very beneficial to get the whole team together for the first time in two years. 'We felt the need to do a thorough analysis, to rediscover and re-energize ourselves. Today we are convinced that we have the means to make 2022 a success. 0]

In true Madiott style, he used the Normandy landings during World War II as a metaphor for the collective spirit he seeks in his riders, speaking enthusiastically to them at a recent training camp.

"You might have had the chance to visit the beaches of Normandy, where on June 5, soldiers boarded barges and lost their lives at a rate of nine-tenths of a percent.

"It's nothing to run over the cobblestones, to run the echelon, to lead a sprint, to reach the summit of the Alpe d'Huez."

Speaking on Tuesday, he said he is looking for a fearless spirit and togetherness from his athletes this year.

"I want to bring on board a group of people who are all riding in the same direction to take on the biggest challenges in cycling. I want the athletes to understand that nothing is out of their reach. We have a boat. Our boat is called Groupama-FDJ and we are going to be on that boat."

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