The full lineup of eight riders for this year's Tour de France has yet to be announced, but Valentin Maduas has expressed excitement about his already confirmed Tour debut riding for team leader and GC contender Thibaut Pinot. This will be the second career Grand Tour for Maduas, who finished 13th overall in last season's Giro d'Italia.

"It's obviously a special feeling when you know you're taking part in the most beautiful race in the world," the 23-year-old Maduas said on the team's website on Sunday. In a corner of my mind I knew I would be competing in the Tour at least once in my career, so it's like a little bit of recognition and it feels good."

"But until it was officially announced, I didn't want to believe it would necessarily happen. But until it was officially announced, I didn't necessarily want to believe it would happen. Being one of the first riders confirmed is a nice bonus. Now I can prepare with peace of mind, and I don't have to get in shape too early to qualify, or do too much to prove that I'm in good shape. My goal is to be in good shape by the end of August."

Regarding the magnitude of the Tour's change in dates from August 29 to September 20 and the pressure that comes with it, Maduas said he is excited to experience it, but is ready for whatever the team asks of him.

"Being part of such a great event with so much pressure is something I want to discover," he said. When you team up with a rider who can win the biggest race in the world, there's only one thing you want to do: win."

"Obviously I'm not under as much pressure as Thibault, but it's still a lot of pressure to make his dream and the team's dream come true," Maduas said.

"There's a little bit of pressure needed, but it's more of a positive thing in the sense that there's a big goal to achieve."

Maduas is the son of former pro Laurent Maduas, who competed for teams such as Z, La Vie Claire, Motorola, and Festina, and is in his third season with Groupama-FDJ.

In 2018, his first year with the team, he won the French one-day race Paris-Bourges, coming off the back of the breakaway group just in time to win.

Now, the young Frenchman is looking to delve further into what kind of racing suits him best, and his Tour debut will help. After the Tour, Maduas will follow the Classics program, racing the Ardennes Classics, Tour de Flanders, and Paris-Roubaix.

"I think doing everything at once will help me figure out where I have the most fun and where I'm at my best," Maduas said of his busy race schedule. You also have to be able to move from the role of teammate to the role of leader."

"You also have to be able to move from the role of teammate to the role of leader.

"It will be interesting, especially in terms of looking at the rest of my career," he continued. 'It's kind of a starting point. If I can do this well, I can reassure myself and have more concrete goals.