NTT Pro Cycling is missing a potential contender for the final yellow jersey in Paris at this year's Tour de France, but on Saturday, new European road race champion and Italian road race champion Giacomo Nizzolo, the race's first has a very realistic chance to win the yellow jersey.

Nizzolo won the Italian title last weekend and the European champion title just three days later in Plouy, France, and the 31-year-old is clearly in good shape for this weekend's 156-km Tour opening stage around Nice.

"I'm very happy with my two wins last week and I'm taking advantage of the opportunity tomorrow [Saturday] to sprint for the yellow jersey," Nizzolo said at a video press conference in Nice on Friday. "I have a great team around me and the whole team is very motivated," Nizzolo said during a video press conference in Nice on Friday.

Nizzolo was asked which of the other seven riders in the WorldTour team's Tour would be looking for support on the opening stage, to which he replied: "Max Valscheidt, Edvald Boasson Hagen, Ryan Gibbons, and Michal Valgren and Michal Gogl. I think they are all ready to play important roles in the lead-out. We still have to decide how to use them, but they are all ready to fight."

"There's no secret about it. 'We finally had a winter with no ill health, and we were able to train the way we wanted during the winter.' And this pandemic period was the same. So it's nice to know that if I can train, I can be competitive for the win."

He was also asked if he regrets that he will not be able to wear the Italian champion's tricolore jersey for the next year, as the new European champion's jersey will be "preferred" as a title.

"I wish I had this problem more often, because then I would have won something special," Nizzolo joked. Nizzolo added, "Of course I love the Italian jersey because it's one of the most beautiful jerseys in cycling, but I'm really proud to be able to wear the European champion's jersey all over the world, because it's a great honor.

Valgren is NTT's other big hope for a stage win at this year's Tour, and after trying to help Nizzolo on the opening stage, the 2018 Amstel Gold Race winner is eager to join the mix early on Sunday on stage 2. This stage also starts and finishes in Nice, but is longer (186 km) than the first stage and includes the Col de la Colmiane and the Col de Tourini first class mountains.

"My ambition, and our ambition, is to win as much as possible. I'm going for the stage win and tomorrow I have a chance to beat Giacomo."

Valgren, who lives in the south of France during the racing season, added that he feels at home for the Grande Pearl in Nice this weekend.

"I'm definitely going for a breakaway and I'm not taking any chances. I'm actually very calm, I got my ass kicked at the Criterium du Dauphiné (two weeks ago), but I have a good recovery plan and I've been working hard. I'm confident and looking forward to the start."