Christophe Riblon endured a career-defining moment last year when he won on Alpe d’Huez in the Tour de France. It sparked a vein of form for the Frenchman on the Ag2R-La Mondiale team who then went on to win a stage of the 2013 Tour of Poland. Now, 12 months on, he is back for more Tour success.

Riblon had already won in the Tour before, in 2010 on Ax 3 Domaines, but his win last year elevated him to national hero status, as the only Frenchman to win a stage last year, in addition to doing it on the queen stage, the double ascent of the tough Alpe d’huez climb.  Now he targets stage 2 into Sheffield this year.

“I think that if Cavendish is in yellow after the first stage, Quick Step won’t defend the jersey on the road to Sheffield. It’s too hard for him,” Riblon told L’Équipe. “So whoever takes the yellow jersey that day could keep it as far as the Vosges if they can get over the cobbles [on stage 5] without any problem. I know that, even though I don’t do Paris-Roubaix, that I don’t have any issues with the cobbles.”

The 33 year old is cautious about the effects of revealing his goals, he will be freer to achieve them now that original team leader Carlos Betancur is no longer able to ride the race due to his illness and he will remain in Colombia.

He is also looking at the stages in the Vosges after he finishes in the Tour of Switzerland and he also thinks the stages to Risoul and Hautacam may allow him to make it a hat-trick of stage wins in France’s biggest race.

“I’ve been asking the team to do a reconnaissance of the last 60km of the stage on the Thursday before the Tour starts,” he explains. “Usually we like to take things easy two days before the race, but I think it would be really stupid not to do a recce. We can put our feet up on the Friday.”

Riblon will also chase a top 10 position on the GC, but says he would prefer to win the teams competition, which Ag2R was second in last year behind Tinkoff-Saxo (Saxo-Tinkoff as they were known then).

“Last year I received the award as the most aggressive rider on the Champs-Elysées. Going up onto the podium was really something. I would love to have that experience again with the whole team,” said Riblon.