Giant-Alpecin riders outline their lofty for aims for 2016

Coming together for team presentation for 2016, Giant-Alpecin riders Warren Barguil, Tom Dumoulin and John Degenkolb have shared their thoughts on the upcoming season.

All three riders had strong seasons in 2015, with Degenkolb taking two Monuments, Dumoulin giving a stand-out performance at the Vuelta a España and Barguil impressed at the Tour de France.

“I can look back on 2015 with good feelings" said Dumoulin at the training camp.

"It was kind of a break through season really, even if it didn’t work out exactly as planned. But this opened up new opportunities that I grabbed to make it special," he added.

“For the coming season my main goals will be to target the Giro d’Italia and then the time trial at the Rio Olympics,” he continued.

The Dutch rider had already stated that this year was unlikely to be the season in which he targeted the Tour de France due to its proximity to the Olympics, but the French race will surely be on his radar in the coming years.

Degenkolb was keen to show his motivation even after such a fantastic year in 2015.

“The season is not far off now and I’m really looking forward to it," he said.

“With last season’s victories in my pocket I have a lot of motivation to once again show what I can do. I have a great team behind me supporting me in the Classics and at the Tour de France, and these are again my main goals.

“I want to be in the best shape possible from San Remo to Roubaix and to get the maximum out of those races, and then to target the sprint stages at the Tour, a goal of mine for three seasons now.”

Barguil made it clear that he's not getting ahead of his own progress, but will progress through the season.

“For 2016 I want to continue progressing as a GC rider as I have been in the past seasons, taking it step-by-step. It remains a goal of mine to finish in the top ten of a Grand Tour and I will continue to push for this goal this season,” the young French rider said.

With the departure of Marcel Kittel to Etixx - Quick-Step, the team's focus will shift for the new season.

The team will still contest sprints with Degenkolb but the signing of Laurens Ten Dam and the continued development of Barguil and Dumoulin will give the team a renewed strength to contest the GC at major stage races.