La Pomme Marseille set for Worldtour status in 2014

Following the end of a second consecutive season of magnificent success for the La Pomme Marseille team, the French outfit are all but confirmed to be stepping up to Worldtour level for the upcoming 2014 season. Neither the UCI nor team manager François Pelli have been reached for a comment, but sources indicate that the odds are pointing strongly in favour of the latest big French team in the peloton.

A member of the team's management stated in a short interview with L'Equipe that they prefer not to talk about the matter until a decision has been made by the UCI, but hinted that the increased status promotion would involve would certainly be positive news for cycling interest in the area around Marseille as well as the rest of France.

No matter what the UCI's ruling turns out to be, La Pomme Marseille has without any doubt enjoyed an incredible journey over the past couple of seasons. Starting off as a small Continental Tour team back in 2012, they've made massive progress since François Pelli's arrival as new head head sports director at the start of that season.

This year, the squad came out on top of the Continental Tour ranking and finished as best non-Worldtour team in the CQ ranking, while also placing Clément Koretzky in 2nd place on the Continental Tour's individual table. They also tasted some Worldtour races during the classics season in April - perhaps to see what sort of level would be required to succeed on the highest level of racing?

However, regardless of the dominance on Pro Continental level, La Pomme aren't guaranteed a spot in the Worldtour. The main problem is rumoured to be lack of UCI points, though it has been suggested that the team will look for reinforcements if they were to be granted with a Worldtour license.

Jonathan Thiré (Dalkia) has publicly been named as a potential signing, but other than that, the lid has been kept shut regarding transfer targets.

Keep yourself updated on how the situation progresses as L'Equipe continues to follow what could be France's third team on the highest level in the sport!

Europcar-trio linked to La Pomme Marseille

Yesterday we discussed the rapidly improving La Pomme Marseille team's potential promotion to Worldtour level and the amazing positive curve the team has been following lately. All is not well in French cycling at the moment however, as another big team, Europcar, could be folding at the end of this season unless they come to terms with a head sponsor.


Current main finanancial backer Europcar have stated that they have still not decided whether to prolong their cooperation with the team, leaving sports director Jean-René Bernadeau in an uncomfortable position. Several riders in the current squad have already started looking for new destinations.

Nothing has been signed so far, but flourishing rumours suggest that three of the most notable names in the team; Pierre Rolland, Thomas Voeckler and Damien Gaudin, could be on their way to La Pomme Marseille. Sources say that the three French riders were seen outside the team's headquarters in Marseille earlier this week.

No official statements have been released, but such a move would certainly make sense given La Pomme'sinterest in riders with Worldtour points. Not to mention that all three would suit the team's philosophy regarding nationalities well.

UCI releases list of 2014 Worldtour teams

After a few intense days of speculation, the UCI has now put an end to the discussion regarding which teams will be given a WorldTour license for next season. Earlier today, they held an official press conference, naming the 18 teams who have matched the required criterias.

Among the successful applicants are two teams stepping up from Pro Continental level: Katusha and La Pomme Marseille. To make room for them, Euskaltel and Vacansoleil move down to Pro Continental status. The latter might not be seen there either however, as they still haven't secured a new head sponsor to finance their project for 2014 onwards.

Here is the full list of 2014 Worldtour teams:

AG2R La Mondiale
Astana Pro Team
BMC Racing Team
Belkin Pro Cycling
Cannondale Pro Cycling
FDJ
Garmin - Sharp
Katusha Team
La Pomme Marseille
Lampre - Merida
Lotto-Belisol Team
Movistar Team
OmegaPharma - Quickstep
Orica GreenEDGE
Sky Pro Cycling
Team Argos-Shimano
Team Saxo-Tinkoff
Trek Cycling

Pellizotti2 wrote:
We haven't signed anyone. It's just rumours so far.

Jesleyh wrote:

Well, they would be great signings
And I thought it'd be pretty certain that they'd sign now La Pomme has a WT license.

FreitasPCM wrote:
How's Kwiatkowski's stats at the moment, may I ask...?

Official: Kangert joins La Pomme Marseille


The management of the La Pomme Marseille team are proud to announce that Estonian national road and time trial champion Tanel Kangert has signed a two-year deal with our team, starting 2014.

Kangert comes across after three years at Astana, during which he finally managed to overcome injuries that plagued him earlier in his career. The real breakthrough came at the 2013 Giro, where he played a key role in team mate Vincenzo Nibali's overall victory.

It might seem like a strange move to leave such success behind, but the 26-year old feels that he is now ready to try a leading role himself - something that wasn't possible with Astana. Instead, he will lead us at the 2014 Giro d'Italia, our first appearance at a Grand Tour.

We're convinced that Tanel will be able to live up to his full potential with us, and that he will bring excellent results from some of the biggest stage races in cycling.

FreitasPCM wrote:
Great signing there! Kangert is well capable of a top-15 if his stats have developed and/or have been updated a bit.