In 2014 Tony Gallopin will leave Radioshack Leopard to ride in the colours of Lotto Belisol where he will have more of a leadership role. The Frenchman will chase success in the classics in the first part of the year, hopes to get a personal in the Tour de France and will focus on the Worlds towards the end of the season.

Tony Gallopin has long been regarded as one of the greatest French talents but so far he has had little room to show his potential. While riding for Radioshack he has mostly had to work for the team's star riders - most notably Fabian Cancellara in his preferred classics - and so has had few chances to chase personal success.

Nonetheless, he got a rare opportunity in this year's Clasica San Sebastian when he beat in-form Tour de France riders Alejandro Valverde and Roman Kreuziger to win the Basque classic. A few days later he announced that he had signed a two-year contract with Lotto-Belisol where he will be one of the team's leaders in the classics.

At 25 years of age, Gallopin feels that it is time to chase personal results in the biggest races and this desire was what prompted him to sign with the Belgian team.

"I’ve developed personal ambitions," he told Cafe Roubaix. "It was difficult to continue with RadioShack-Leopard, because Fabian Cancellara was the big leader for the Classics. There were also leaders for the stage races, so I’ve decided to come here for a new experience, for opportunities and for the mentality Lotto has as a Belgian team."

Gallopin is one of the select few that has done well in both the Ardennes and the cobbled classics. At Lotto Belisol, he will be a leader in the latter with Jurgen Roelandts while he will join forces with Jelle Vanendert and Jurgen Van Den Broeck in the latter.

2Of course, I will be the leader for the Spring Classics, but I won’t have all the team for me," he said. I’ll be protected, but not like a big leader.

"I will start in France with the Grand Prix La Marseillaise and the Etoile de Bessèges, then I will go in the Tour of Oman and before the Classics I will race in Paris-Nice," he added. "Afterwards, I’ll do all the cobbled Classics, except Paris-Roubaix. Then I’ll be back for the Ardennes Classics."

However, Gallopin is much more than a classics rider. With a 3rd place in the 2012 Tour of Oman, he has proved that he climbs well and he is a strong time trialist. Those attributes could make him a contender for the weeklong stage races.

"I need to progress in the Classics, to become a little bit stronger and to be up there with the best," he said. "Also, in the second part of the season I would like to progress in the mountains and maybe lose some weight, so that I can get some good results in the Criterium du Dauphiné."

Gallopin also hopes to get selected for the team's roster for the Tour de France. However, he knows that he will have fewer personal opportunities in La Grande Boucle than in the classics.

"First of all, we have one of the best sprinters in the world [Andre Greipel], so we’ll have to work for him," he said. "Also, we have a rider for the general classification [Van Den Broeck]. Then, if I’ll get some freedom and have an opportunity, I will try to make the most of it."

In 2013, Gallopin decided to forgo the World Championships but that won't be the case in 2014. The race in Ponferrada has been described as one that could in a sprint from a 30-rider group, making it perfect for a fast finisher and a strong climber like Gallopin.

"The road race is already in my mind," he said. "I saw the profile and I really like it. It’s true, I need to ride there in order to get a better picture, but it’s a good course for me."

Yesterday Gallopin attended the Lotto Belisol team presentation where the team's goals were outlined.