Ag2r recently announced the signings of classics specialists Damien Gaudin and Sebastien Turgot and now they plan to reduce the size of their sprint roster. According to L'Equipe, fast finishers Anthony Ravard, Valentin Iglinskiy and Manuel Belletti have all been informed that their contracts won't be renewed while climber John Gadret has also been asked to find a new employer.

Ag2r has started to restructure its roster for next season and based on recent signing and reports in L'Equipe, the team plans to focus more on the cobbled classics and less on the sprints. Recently, it announced the signings of Damien Gaudin and Sebastien Turgot who significantly bolsters its chances in the cobbled classics in which they have so far failed to make a real impact.

The French newspaper now reports that four riders have been informed that their contracts won't be renewed. The biggest name is climber John Gadret who has been part of the roster since 2006. The Frenchman has had a role as the team's perennial Giro captain and even finished 3rd in the 2011 edition of the race (by virtue of the disqualification of Alberto Contador).

Since that outstanding performance, Gadret has been unable to reach similar heights and he failed to finish in the top 10 in last year's edition of the Italian grand tour. This year he had set his sights on the Tour de France but only found his best legs during the final few days of the race. His recent lack of results may be the reason that the climber who is also one of the best French cyclo-cross riders, will have to find a new employer for next season.

Furthermore, the team plans to significantly reduce the number of sprinters on the roster. Anthony Ravard has won numerous races for the team during his 4-year tenure but has been hampered by injuries in the last two years. He has confirmed that he won't stay with the team for next season.

Manuel Belletti was signed prior to the 2012 season as a promising Italian sprinter who had won a stage in the 2010 Giro d'Italia. He won a stage of the Route du Sud last year but has failed to add to his tally during his second season on the team. That may have led to the team's decision to leave him off the roster for the 2014 season.

Finally, Valentin Iglinskiy has also been asked to leave the team. The younger brother of Liege-Bastogne-Liege winner Maxim was primarily signed to bolster the team's points tally as he had numerous wins in lesser-known Asian races. On the back of a very successful season, the team's ProTeam license should not be in danger and so the team sees no reason to keep Iglinskiy in its ranks. The Kazakh has mostly worked as a domestique since joining the team.

Despite the cleansing, the team won't be entirely without sprinters next season as Yauheni Hutarovich, Samuel Dumoulin, Davide Appollonio and Lloyd Mondory are all set to stay with their current employer.