Oliver Naessen told Belgian media that his AG2R La Mondiale team is taking a somewhat relaxed approach to this year's Tour de France, with Romain Bardet aiming for a stage win in the mountains rather than a top overall finish.
"Romain is not really aiming for the overall classification. He would rather win a stage," he told reporters Thursday before the start of the race, according to Het Laatste Nieuws. That means less stress for us. Before, every second mattered and we were always alert and vigilant."
Bardet will lead AG2R with Pierre Latour, having opted for the Tour de France after initially targeting the Giro d'Italia, but Bardet seems to have emerged as the main protector of the French WorldTour team in recent weeks, Nessen did not mention Latour.
"Romain is still our leader, but I have more chances in the "intermediate stages" (non-mountain stages)," Nessen continued.
"A Tour stage is every rider's career goal, everyone dreams about it. It's not the same as winning the Tour of Flanders or Paris-Roubaix, but it's right down there."Nessen, a Classics specialist, will target both Flanders and Roubaix, both scheduled for October, but the Belgian rider has already found a number of stages where he could sneak into a key breakaway group in the Tour.
"There are opportunities for the baldour (riders who want to attack). We don't even know if the first stage will end in a sprint. I think there are at least four or five chances," he said, suggesting that he has a chance to win the race's first yellow jersey in Nice on Saturday.
"Now is the time to prove that I can win a stage in the Tour. For the last few years I've made the excuse that I have to work for the leaders. 'If I don't take the chance now, that chance could be gone. It's up to me now."
When the AG2R Tour finalists were announced earlier this week, team manager Vincent Lavenu praised Nessen's ability to selflessly help the leaders, especially on the Tour's flatter, windier stages, but the 29-year-old's stage win opened the door for him to aim for a stage win.
"Oliver serves as an overall insurance policy not only on undulating stages, but also on flat stages," Lavenu said. 'He is not only a great leader, but also a great teammate.'
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