The Frenchman will start his season in February.
Valentin Paret-Peintre has always been someone who admired our team, even before joining the Soudal Quick-Step ahead of this season. The 24-year-old from Annemasse, a small town in the Haute-Savoie department, grew up watching Tom Boonen and Philippe Gilbert write history on the cobbles, and even though he isn’t a rider made for the northern classics, this hasn’t stopped him from dreaming that he would one day ride for our team – in his own words, “one of the legendary squads in the history of the sport”.
This dream finally became reality, but Valentin will have to wait a few more weeks before pinning on a number in a race, as he is scheduled to get his campaign underway at the Muscat Classic, the one-day race that precedes the Tour of Oman. After his outing in the Middle East, the Frenchman will return home to continue the preparation for his European debut, which is set to take place on home soil, at the Ardèche Classic and Drôme Classic, the two hilly races scheduled on back-to-back days.
“I look forward to this new season. I had a great welcome from all the guys in the team, and after just a few weeks, I feel the atmosphere of a family and I am happy to be part of it. I’m just a couple of weeks away from my first race of the year and can’t wait to get things started.”
“It will be my first time in Oman and I think the route it’s quite good for me and the team to do something nice there. Ardèche and Drôme are the other races where I will go for the first time. It’s always nice to ride in your home country and I think it will be a good test before the first big goals of March. I hope to be in good shape, I am motivated and excited to have a solid start with Soudal Quick-Step”, said Valentin, who is currently in Calpe, for the team’s second training camp of the winter.
Photo credit: ©Wout Beel
