"There is a very good field including Vingegaard" - David Gaudu and Lenny Martínez lead Groupama - FDJ's charge at Gran Camino

Gran Camiño begins this afternoon in Coruña with a 15-kilometer long time-trial. Groupama - FDJ are one of the teams that chose the northwestern tip of Spain to give their leaders some racing rhythm; both David Gaudu and Lenny Martínez hope to challenge Jonas Vingegaard this week.

“O Gran Camino will be my first stage-race of the season. With a time trial, two stages with a very punchy profile and a mountain stage, it’s a really great event that awaits us," David Gaudu said in a press conference ahead of the race. "There is a very good field including Vingegaard. It’s going to be a point of important passage before Paris-Nice. We are going to apply ourselves in the time trial, race as a team and do our best to be participants in the race."

The four-day race includes an early time-trial, two hilly days and a tough mountain stage to conclude the week - with a difficult summit finish. The climbers, looking ahead towards the spring, will have great opportunities to test their form here. The French duo will be facing the likes of Jonas Vingegaard, Cian Uijtderoeks, Richard Carapaz, Carlos Rodríguez and more. Gaudu finished second at Paris-Nice last year and hopes to build form here.

Lenny Martínez in the meantime, winner of the recent Classic Var, has this race as a bigger goal, as part of his spring campaign: “I started the season well, winning my first race, the Classic Var. Now for the first stage-race. It's always interesting to see how the legs react over several days after the winter. I'm also curious to compete in my first time-trial. The objective is to progress every year in this discipline. We present ourselves with the ambition of racing for a good general, whether with me or David," he concluded.

Groupama - FDJ for Gran Camiño:

Quentin Pacher, Enzo Paleni, Lenny Martínez, David Gaudu, Reuben Thompson, Clément Davy and Eddy Le Huitouze.