The center of gravity for AG2R La Mondiale (renamed AG2R Citroën in 2021) shifted accordingly on Monday morning as a press release was issued a few minutes later. Romain Bardet's move to Team Sunweb was offset by the addition of Greg Van Avermaet from the CCC team, but the Belgian is clearly not a replacement for the man who twice finished on the podium at the Tour de France.

For a quarter of a century, July was the raison d'être of Vincent Lavenu's team; in 2021, the team's emphasis will shift to April and the cobbled classics, with Van Avermaet joining his friend and training partner, Oliver Naessen. The duo may be further reinforced in the future, as Bob Jungels has been rumored as a possible destination.

"I think there will be a lot of people around our bus when the Big Classic opens next year. Maybe it will rival the Detunink Quickstep," smiled director Vincent Ravenu as he spoke to reporters at Tuesday's Zoom Call.

Lavenu, of course, hopes to win the hearts of racegoers next spring on the cobblestones and hills of Flanders, competing strongly with the Patrick Lefebvre-led team. five Belgian riders are already on the 2021 roster, including Laurens Naessen, newcomer Gijs van Hecke, and Stan DeWolf will join the two leaders.

"I could joke that it's because the Citroën market is strong in Belgium," Lavenu was asked to explain the influx of Belgian talent. But really, it's because of Oliver Naessen. Oliver is an important part of the team, and it's fascinating to work with him on a day-to-day basis. I know Oliver has big ambitions, and I wanted to build a solid team around him. When the opportunity presented itself to Greg Van Avermaet, we seized it."

CCC's decision to withdraw from cycling after this season, not to mention the pay cut imposed by the coronavirus outbreak, meant Van Avermaet would hit the market a year earlier than expected. After hearing from the Olympic champion's agent, Ravenu proposed the idea to Nessen, who gave him veto power over the transfer.

"If Oliver had told me, 'No, I want to be the sole leader,' I would not have proceeded, but Oliver was very keen on the chance to run with his peers," Lavenu said.

"The reason I signed Greg to a three-year contract is because I look at his past and he's been a top-10 world ranking athlete every year for the last eight or nine years. That shows his consistency and motivation. Like Philippe Gilbert, he has performed very well for his age. He is very focused on his profession and can be a very positive influence on the younger players on the team."

The departure of Bardet and Pierre Latour leaves AG2R-Citroën without a clear leader in the 2021 Grand Tours, but Lavenu expressed confidence that the team can still "be a top ten name in the Grand Tours."

"We haven't announced everything yet." I think we will have a solid team for the stage races and the Grand Tours." Ravenu said.

AG2R Citroën's overall contender in the Grand Tours may be another new contender. In recent weeks, the team has been in talks with Bob Jungels, whose contract with Deceuninck-Quick-Step has expired; Jungels, who won the 2019 Cune Brussel-Cune, could form part of a strong trio on the cobbles with Van Avermaert and Naessen, but his resume includes two top-10 finishes at the Giro d'Italia and 11th at the 2018 Tour de France.

Earlier in the summer, Lefebvre told Wielerfritz that he "wasn't going to lose his pants" to keep Jungels around. Lavenu was more circumspect about the prospect of a contract with the 2018 Liège-Bastogne-Liège winner, unwilling to confirm or deny his interest; when asked if BMC is set to take over from Eddy Merckx as AG2R's bike supplier in 2021 He swung a similarly straight bat at the question of whether BMC is set to take over from Eddy Merckx as AG2R's bike supplier in 2021.

"I know there are a lot of rumors out there, there's the BMC rumor, there's the Bob Jungels rumor. 'We will see if they are well-founded or not. We will announce when we need to. We will confirm new arrivals shortly, probably within the next week."

Lavenu also paid tribute to Bardet, who leads AG2R La Mondiale in this week's Criterium du Dauphiné and the upcoming Tour de France. 'We part as good friends. Romain brought a lot to the team and I think the team brought a lot to Romain. This team existed before Romain Bardet and Pierre Latour. This team existed before Romain Valdé and Pierre Latour, and it will exist long after they leave.