Marc Madiot draws a negative balance of a disappointing 2015 for FDJ but his leader managed to deliver repeatedly. The manager does not mince his words. "The season of the FDJ team has been average and was largely saved by Thibaut Pinot," he tells Cyclingpro.net.  The manager refers to the tally of just 15 wins which is the worst outcome  since 2001 and well below the 2013 peak (33 victories).

Before returning to the highlights of a disappointing season, Madiot was full of praise for his leader whose season ended with a third place in the Tour of Lombardy and tenth place in the WorldTour rankings.. Pinot won the queens stages at the Tour de France, the Tour de Suisse and Tour de Romandie and the general classification of the Tour du Gevaudan.  

"Thibaut showed a great ability to react," he said. "In this area, he has made good progress. He probably had the most difficult Tour de France of his career but he has overcome the setbacks of the first week to finish strongly. I was not surprised that he constantly attacked in the third week because he always finishes his Grand Tours well and won in Alpe d'Huez. Throughout this season, he confirmed his potential and I think he can enter the Top 5 of all the major stage races that he will do."

Among the satisfactions of this season, Marc Madiot points to Alexandre Géniez (winner of Tro-Bro Léon and Tour de l'Ain), Steve Morabito whose contribution is huge, and the young riders "including Olivier Le Gac and Johan Le Bon who have a real place in the classics and Pierre-Henri Lecuisinier whose health problems are now forgotten."

There is not much to say for the rest "The team misfired for a long time. It wasn't stoked up like it should have been," Madiot said. "We lost the guiding principles that we had before. It seemed to me that some of the riders weren't hungry, that they'd had enough and I'm not talking about the leaders and Arnaud Démare in particular. 

"I have set out to put things in place. I must say that we also had extenuating circumstances. In the Ardennes classics, our leader Arthur Vichot was suffering and dropped. In fact, he was sick all year. In other classics, Arnaud Démare was unlucky, a crash in Milan-San Remo. Otherwise he would at least have fought for the places of honour. In the Tour of Flanders he suffered mechanical problems and in Paris-Roubaix he had a puncture. If he could do one of the three well, it would have changed the situation."

During the season, Démare raised his arms twice in the Tour of Belgium. And that's it.

"Arnaud has to learn to be less friendly with his teammates and I will be so for him," continued Madiot. ""From the start of next season there has to be a new sense of spirit and a new dynamic. I have no worries about his ability. Arnaud's tests show that he was stronger in 2015 than in 2014. This is not a physical problem and indeed we have never stopped supporting him."

2015 also marks a real turning point in the life of the French team. In deciding not to keep Francis Mourey, FDJ will leave the cyclo-cross scene.

"We know what we can get in this discipline. Francis' chance in the Worlds has passed. Among the young people, it does not seem that there is a rider that can lead us back to this discipline but it is a break. We will return on day. It is also a symbol, we will install a different dynamic."

With its new signings, Switzerland's Reichenbach, Norwegians Eiking and Hoelgaard, Lithuanian Konovalovas and young Frenchmen Fournier and Maison, the whole FDJ team will meet on November 18 for a gathering organized by sports directorThierry Bricaud.  

"I do not know where we will be," Marc Madiot laughed. "I know I have to bring gloves, jacket and a bathing suit."