Ardennes classics, Tour de France win and yellow jersey the main goals for Victor Lafay - "Obviously there will be pressure"

Victor Lafay was a star in the team presentation of Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team. The French rider is a big signing for the French team that seeks to increase it's performances for 2024, and Lafay is part of a plan to perform in the Ardennes classics and Tour de France.

"They pulled out all the stops on this presentation. The fact that there are two big sponsors for this team, I really think that it will make it grow. That's also why I came, I saw that the team wanted to take a turn, I think it's the start of a great adventure and I wanted to be there from the start," Lafay shared in words to Cyclism'Actu. "That's what attracted me to the project and I think that I wasn’t wrong. It's certain that I'm more expected than before, but I also have more confidence in myself, so it balances out. Obviously there will be pressure, but I know that on a personal level I manage it rather well."

The team has reportedly increased it's budget from €23 to €26 million euros following the entrance of Decathlon as a title sponsor. Lafay was a French star in the recent Tour de France, and after showing his talent he will have responsibilities within his new team. “This victory changes a lot of things. Not necessarily for me and my vision of cycling, but it changes that of those around me, of how the world of cycling perceives me now. A victory in the Tour makes us 'explode'. But it's still a bike race, you shouldn't get too big-headed for that, that would be a shame."

Into the 2024 there are a few goals. One of them being the Olympic Games which take place in Paris and will be a dream for the home riders. Lafay will not be a prime contender, but the punchy course does offer up opportunities for him. "It makes me very excited. I looked at the course, it is perhaps a little too short an effort for me, but it will make me dream of making the Olympic Games."

However it is elsewhere that his main goals lie. Namely the Ardennes classics and of course, the Tour de France. "Without forgetting the Flèche Wallonne, I will try to concentrate on Liège-Bastogne-Liège, after which there will be the Tour de France, to aim for a stage victory... and the ultimate dream which would be the yellow jersey," the 27-year old concludes.