Backing FDJ is no Gamble

The lottery backed FDJ squad looks set for a big year in which its young stars will remind the cycling world that the French are in fact a major cycling nation. In Oman the French national champion Nacer Bouhanni won a fast sprint for his first win of the year. At Paris-Nice he went one better by winning the opening stage in the first European World Tour race of 2013. He crashed out on the next stage while wearing the leaders jersey but he is one of many bright starts who look set to shine brightly in 2013 and has already set the scene for FDJ this season. 

FDJ-BigMat 2012 Season in Review

The season begun for FDJ in a rather complicated manner as BigMat had all but signed on as a co sponsor for Garmin only to withdraw and pledge their allegiance and dollars to the French lottery team but this was no gamble. Two stage wins at the Tour de France and the emergence of Thibaut Pinot as the next French cycling star was the tip of the iceberg in 2012. Nacer Bouhanni won his first French road race title to add an extra layer of French pride to the team who won 21 races in 2012, asserting themselves as the premier French team of the year. Bouhanni and Arnaud Démare were the two biggest winners of the season but there was plenty of other riders with one or two wins such as a rejuvenated Perrick Fédrigo, Kenny Elissonde in a breakout year and the departing Yauheni Hutarovich.