Kévin Vauquelin, the breakout rider of last summer's Tour de France after racing to an unexpected seventh place overall, has unveiled his partial schedule for 2026, his debut season at Ineos Grenadiers.
The Frenchman, who spent the first four years of his professional career with Arké-B&B Hotels, heads for pastures new this season. The year will be one of "discovery" in terms of his outright role at the British squad, with no pressure on the 24-year-old to immediately assume a leadership role.
Speaking to L'Equipe last week, Vauquelin outlined his early-season plans, with the Volta ao Algarve and Paris-Nice featuring prominently.
"It's about discovery. We'll have a good team, and we'll be playing to the strengths of our riders," Vauquelin said.
"There's no pressure on me; I'm just being asked to get a feel for things in some great races and seize opportunities rather than having a specific role. And in the Algarve, there's an individual time trial, and we want to see where I stand in that discipline.
"Because everything is new for me, there are a lot of changes, and they want to protect me. I'll be able to take it more relaxed, with a cohesive team."
Vauquelin has steadily grown into one of the stars of French cycling in recent seasons, winning several smaller French stage races, including Etoile de Bessèges and the Région Pays de la Loire Tour.
He also counts a stage win at the 2024 Tour de France, a second at last year's Tour de Suisse, and a pair of podiums at La Flèche Wallonne on his palmarès. After soaring into the Tour's top 10 last July, where next for Vauquelin?
"After [7th at] the Tour de France, I'd like to make my mark in a week-long race, to add one to my palmarès in the next two years. And I dream of Paris-Nice because it's in France, in a region where I now live," he said.
"We're not looking any further ahead [than Paris-Nice]. After Paris-Nice, there will be a short break, and we'll see what the new objectives are. But I wanted to experience something different.
"For the past few years, I've been going to the same places. We decided on the program together. But Paris-Nice is a real personal choice."
Vauquelin, who explained that he's "back to 100%" following a post-Tour ankle fracture, looks set to be back at cycling's biggest race this summer. After grabbing seventh overall in Paris six months ago, avoiding a return to the Tour was never likely.
"The French want it, the team will have to be ready," Vauquelin joked.
"We'll see, it's still a long way off, there's a lot of work to do. What's interesting about Paris-Nice is that there's a team time trial, we'll be able to get a feel for things in preparation for [the Tour's opening TTT in Barcelona]."
