AG2R La Mondiale has made their first signing of the 2016 transfer window and has extended the contracts of four of their current squad members.
The 23-year-old Frenchman Rudy Barbier is the new acquisition, signed from continental outfit Roubaix-Lille Métropole on a two-year deal, while Mikaël Chérel, Hubert Dupont, Axel Domont, and Jan Bakelants have all signed two-year extensions.
“After two seasons at Continental level, I’m really happy to join the AG2R La Mondiale in the WorldTour. It still hasn’t sunk in how lucky I am and I hope to meet expectations,” said Barbier, who is a sprinter-classics rider crossover in the mold of compatriot Arnaud Démare.
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“I’ll approach this new experience with humility but with a desire to do well. I’m young, I still have things to learn, and I’m going to discover new races. Naturally, the northern Classics are my dream races and I hope I can show myself and bring something to the team, even if I’m aware that those races are really tough.”
Barbier won the Cholet-Pays De Loire and Paris-Troyes this year as well as finishing second on the opening stage of Critérium International, and AG2R boss Vincent Lavenu has seen enough to be convinced of his potential.
“Rudy is a young rider for the future. For me, he’s just behind the major French trio of Demare, Bouhanni, and Coquard,” said Lavenu. “He has shown great things this year, notably with his victory at Cholet Pays de Loire. He has a strong burst of speed and given his youth he can still make his way up the hierarchy. We’ll also be counting on him in the cobbled classics.”
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