"We're aiming for a top 5 in the general classification" - Felix Gall and Decathlon AG2R insist last year's Tour de France breakthrough wasn't a flash in the pan

Turning the clock back twelve months, the Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team was preparing for the 2023 Tour de France, fully behind Ben O'Connor. With the Australian unable to show his best level however, it was Felix Gall who stepped up to lead the team in a breakthrough performance, taking a stage win and finishing 8th overall.

Although the 26-year-old Austrian hasn't particularly kicked on over the year since, as Gall returns to the Tour de France in 2024, he does so with a renewed leadership of the team and with it, a more marked name in the peloton. “My goal is clear: the general classification,” he explains at the pre-race team presentation on Thursday evening in Florence.

"Last year it went very well with an eighth place, while I had mainly prepared for the Tour de Suisse. Now I'm starting with a different role. I have worked hard to be ready as the leader and to achieve a good classification, which I am certainly capable of," Gall continues, clearly confident in his own abilities. "You always aim for improvement. I have been busy with the Tour since the start of the season and I do that as leader, which does come with some responsibility. We also want to win a stage with the team, for which we have Sam Bennett, among others."

The addition of Irish sprinter Bennett, himself a two time Tour de France stage winner, does alleviate some of the pressure surrounding Gall. Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team boss Vincent Lavenu is clear in his ambitions for the team over the coming weeks though.

"We have two big ambitions for this Tour de France," says Lavenu. "We want to repeat our performance from last year in the classification with Gall, but also win a stage. Sam is perhaps our best chance for this, but Dorian Godon and Paul Lapeira can also compete for a stage victory with their speed. We have ambitions and a strong team and performing well in the Tour is part of our identity. We're aiming for a top five in the general classification."