Tony Gallopin took a major breakthrough win when he triumphed in the Clasica San Sebastian. However, his personal opportunities at Radioshack were limited and so he is looking forward to be a protected rider for Lotto-Belisol in the classics in 2014.

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.

"They [Lotto-Belisol] were interested in me from the beginning of the season," he told Velochrono in an interview. "I saw that this team really wanted me which is something that is very enjoyable.

"I also felt that it would been difficult to change my status at Trek next year, with a team leader like Fabian Cancellara for the classics and all our leaders for the grand tours. Lotto-Belisol offered me a protected role in the classics and that is what I want.  On their team, there is not a leader like Cancellara who needs seven riders around him. In this team, we have Jürgen Roelandts for the Flemish classics and Jurgen Van den Broeck and Jelle Vanendert for the Ardennes, but I think I can have a protected status."

Gallopin is known as a fast rider that can mix it up in a sprint from a reduced group. He climbs well - as proved by his San Sebastian win - and his solid time trial turns him into a very versatile rider.

That versatility is reflected in his race schedule.

"I will return to competition in February," he said. "At the moment, I do not really know where but it will wither be in Qatar and Oman or in the French races like the Tour Med. I haven't done it for four years now. After that, I'll be in Paris-Nice, Milan-San Remo, GP E3, Ghent-Wevelgem, the Tour of Flanders, but not Paris-Roubaix which I don't like.

"Then I'll continue with the Ardennes classics. Then I will have a second part of the season with the Dauphine, the French championshiops and - if all goes well - the Tour de France. At the end of the season, there will be San Sebastian and the World Championships. This year I did not have a suitable program to prepare for the Worlds [he chose to skip the race in Florence,ed.] but next year they will be close to my heart. I love Spain [the race will be held in Ponferrada, ed.] and has a route that suits me."

Due to his versatility, Gallopin is seen as a rider that can both excel in the classics and in shorter stage races. For now, he prefers to see how far he can get in the one-day races.

"In 2014, I will focus on the one-day races," he said. "You cannot aim for both Paris-Nice and Liege-Bastogne-Liege as there is too much time and the Flemish classics in between . So I think I will arrive at Paris-Nice to improve my condition. I won't target the GC but perhaps try to win a stage. I will do like many other riders who do Paris-Nice and Tirreno to train for the classics. It is difficult to do both.

"It is true that I have done well in some week-long stage races and the idea attracts me," he added. But it is difficult in a race like the Dauphiné for example.  It's a race that I really like but it's almost impossible for me to finish in the top ten because the course is too hard."
 

Gallopin has done well in both the Flemish and Ardennes classics. He has been a key domestique for Cancellara in the latter and his San Sebastian win proves that he thrives in the hillier races as well.

For now, he refuses to focus on one kind of one-day races and points to Philippe Gilbert as a rider who has excelled in both.

"The thing is that I the profile of Liege-Bastogne-Liege suits me better, but I prefer the Tour of Flanders," he said. "I love the cobblestones, the special atmosphere, the adrenaline is different. It is uncommon to see riders who do both the Flemish and the Ardennes classics but Philippe Gilbert has done well in both. Without comparing myself to him, I think it can play a leading role in these races."

As a Frenchman, Gallopin would like to get selected for the Tour de France which has done three times in a row. The course was unveiled in October and he sees plenty of opportunities for a rider like him.

"This is a tour that seems to suit me, in any case more than this year," he said. "In 2013, there were few opportunities for riders like me, the baroudeur-sprinter type of riders. There were a lot of sprint stages and summit finishes where Movistar and Sky raced for their leaderd. The 2014 Tour is a beautiful one with a tough finish on the second stage, the cobblestones and the Vosges with La Planche des Belles Filles which I did in 2012.

"The idea is that I have carte blanche on some of the hilly stages. But I will also help Andre Greipel in the sprint stages, even though I won't be part of the train. If I am selected, I will also support Van den Broeck as I did at RadioShack with Schleck, Kloden and Horner."

With 4 wins in his professional career, Gallopin hopes that more freedom will allow him to add to his tally in 2014.