Nacer Bouhanni will start his season net week at the Challenge Mallorca. He will later do Paris-Nice to improve his physical condition for Milan-San Remo, his main goal this spring. He has told L'Equipe he has the legs to win the Primavera.

"I know I can win it. With 200 metres to go, I was on Sagan’s wheel but I didn’t dare open the sprint early. It was a big error that I won’t commit again", he explained.

Regarding the leadership in the national selection for the Worlds, Bouhanni said that Arnaud Démare will be the number one. "I’m almost certain he [Démare] will regain his place as France’s number 1 sprinter. It’s still a long way off but I’m thinking about it. In any case, [French coach Bernard] Bourreau will have to approach it differently [to 2015] and maybe this time not forget [Thomas] Voeckler..."

Bouhanni also talked about the relationship with the Cofidis riders. "Last year a lot of people didn’t race to win but to make me lose," Bouhanni added. "With [Steeve] Chainel, I mixed friendship with my job, but in this milieu, it’s difficult to talk about friendship. Cycling is a demanding sport and in the end, I’ve always been correct with people who do their jobs."