FDJ

Marc Madiot sent Thibaut

Pinot on a trip in pursuit of the maglia rosa. He came away with a sparkling fourth overall, and now he’s at the Tour hunting stages, meaning the pressure of home expectation should be lower than it was last year when he cracked through illness, and 2015 when he just cracked (albeit with the superb rescue of an Alpe d’Huez stage win). If Pinot is for the mountains, the squad has a commendable fast man for flatter terrain in Arnaud Démare. He’s not the fastest but the 2016 Milan-San Remo winner is one of the more resilient sprinters. He’s only done the Tour twice, finishing third on two stages on his 2014 debut. A stage win would be a magnificent result for the 25-year-old, but it’s well within the realm of possibility.

TOUR PALMARÈS

FDJ has averaged near enough a stage win a year for 20 years. It supported Baden Cooke to a green jersey in 2003, then spent a few years as break fodder. It’s been a bona !ide GC unit recently, with Thibaut Pinot winning the white jersey and coming third overall in 2014.