After he moved from the feeder team Chambery to the WorldTour team AG2R in August 2015, Nico Denz had his first full season as a professional in 2016.

In the Ag2r jersey, the fourth place at Cholet Pays de Loire (1.1) was certainly the highlight. Even more impressive was the strong performance at the Tour de l`Avenir which Denz did for the German U23 national team. The 22-year-old took a third place in the prestigious tour and was also allowed to wear the yellow jersey for one day.

Denz is more than satisfied with his season. "I had some really great races in the program and I learned a lot. However my balance looks a bit bad on paper," Denz told radsport-news.com

Denz was especially pleased with his first starts at the cycling monuments Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix even though he had to end both prematurely. "These were highlights," the debutant noted. During the three days of West Flanders, he missed out his first professional win. The all-rounder was caught 200 meters from the finish line. "This was certainly a disappointment," Denz said.

For his second season at Ag2r, Denz has two major goals. "I hope to do my first grand tour, like the Vuelta, and I want my first professional win," he announced.